HCC Board of Trustees Announces Leadership Transition
The Howard Community College Board of Trustees has elected Alicia Vanessa Altamirano, Esq., as chair and Stacey Ullrich as vice chair for 2026-2027, and welcomes Joshua Kaufman as its newest member following his appointment by Governor Wes Moore. The leadership elections and Kaufman’s appointment took effect on July 1, 2026.
“The board brings together a range of expertise, civic commitment, and community connection that positions Howard Community College well for the work ahead, said Daria J. Willis, President of HCC. “I am grateful to Chair Altamirano and Vice Chair Ullrich for their willingness to lead, and to Mr. Kaufman for his willingness to serve. I look forward to partnering with each of them.”
Alicia Vanessa Altamirano, Esq.
Alicia Vanessa Altamirano was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to the Howard Community College Board of Trustees in April 2025 and will serve through June 2029. She is an attorney whose practice reflects a sustained commitment to access, equity, and opportunity.
Stacey Ullrich — Vice Chair
Stacey Ullrich was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to the Howard Community College Board of Trustees in April 2025 and will serve through June 2030. She brings deep professional and civic experience across the philanthropic, corporate, and community service sectors of the Baltimore-Washington region.
Altamirano and Ullrich will serve one-year terms as chair and vice chair through June 2027.
Joshua Kaufman — Trustee
Joshua Kaufman joins the board following his appointment by Governor Wes Moore to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Trustee Frank S. Turner in February 2025. Kaufman is a retired public policy leader whose career spans senior roles in federal government and Howard County civic life. Most recently a member of the United States Agency for International Development’s Senior Leadership Group, he led development of USAID’s Policy Framework and co-authored the Joint USAID-Department of State Strategic Plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaufman co-chaired a National Security Council working group that produced the COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework, guiding the United States’ global pandemic response. He also served as USAID’s Chief Evaluation Official, overseeing all program evaluation, research, and data functions across the agency.
From 2003 to 2006, Kaufman served as a member and Chair of the Howard County Board of Education. He has also chaired the County Ethics Commission and served on the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, the Spending Affordability Committee, and the Human Rights Commission. He currently serves on the executive committee of the Heather Choices Coalition, working to ensure every Howard County family can access quality, affordable, and nutritious food.
A Howard County resident since 1995, he lives in Elkridge with his wife. Their two children attended Howard County schools.
A Tribute to Outgoing Leadership
Vivian Moore Lawyer — Immediate Past Chair
Vivian Moore Lawyer steps down as chair after serving in that role since September 2024, when she assumed the position on an interim basis and was subsequently elected to a full term. As chair, Lawyer guided the board through one of the most consequential periods in the institution’s recent history. Under her leadership, the board welcomed four new trustees, navigated the governance landscape shaped by SB 813, affirmed the college’s first faculty collective bargaining agreement in December 2025, guided the institution to be named among the Aspen Institute’s Top 200 community colleges nationwide, and sustained the college’s institutional momentum through the completion of the capital campaign for the forthcoming Cathy and Danny Bell Workforce Development and Trades Center.
She brought to the position a career of distinguished service in human resources administration, including 22 years at Montgomery College, 12 of them as Chief Human Resources Officer, and a deep commitment to equity and civic engagement in Howard County. Lawyer continues her service on the board as a trustee through June 2027.
“Chair Lawyer led this board through a period of change that tested every governance instinct she had developed across a lifetime of public service,” said Willis. “She met every test with grace, principle, and an unwavering focus on what was best for our students and our institution. The college is stronger because she served as our chair, and we are fortunate that she continues as a trustee.”
Felicíta Solá-Carter — Immediate Past Vice Chair
Felícita Solá-Carter concludes a decade of service to the Howard Community College Board of Trustees, finishing her term on June 30, 2026. She first joined the board in April 2016 under Governor Larry Hogan and was reappointed in June 2020 for a second term. Across both terms, Solá-Carter served as chair of the board and vice chair through two administrations, the COVID-19 pandemic, HCC’s receipt of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2019, and as chair of the search committee that selected President Willis as the institution’s fifth president.
A retired senior executive of the U.S. Social Security Administration, she brought deep institutional understanding of public service, fiscal stewardship, and community engagement to every board meeting she attended across a decade of service.
“Trustee Solá-Carter gave a decade of her life to this college, and we are better in every measurable way because of her service. She was a steady voice during moments of change and a thoughtful partner during moments of growth,” said Willis. “On behalf of our students, our employees, and the Howard County community, we thank her.”
The HCC Board of Trustees is a nine-member body appointed by the Governor of Maryland for six-year terms and serves as the college’s legal governing body.