Howard Community College Board of Trustees Announces Officers and Meetings for Fiscal Year 2026
Release date: 08/19/2025
COLUMBIA, MD – The Howard Community College (HCC) Board of Trustees has elected its officers and scheduled its meetings for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
Board of Trustees Officers
The board of trustees elected Vivian Moore Lawyer as chair and Felícita Solá-Carter as vice chair for fiscal year 2026.
Lawyer was appointed to the board for a term extending through June 30, 2027. She previously served as interim chair of the board and will chair of the board's audit and finance committee. Lawyer has an extensive background in higher education administration, beginning her career as a student services professional at Bowling Green State University and serving as Director of Employment and Development in Human Resources and later the Chief Human Resources Officer at Montgomery College in Maryland. A longtime supporter of Howard Community College, Lawyer received the Clark Medal in 2022, honoring a lifetime of achievement and service to the college. Prior to joining the board of trustees, she served as chair of the board of directors of the HCC Educational Foundation.
Solá-Carter joined the Howard Community College Board of Trustees in April 2016 and was reappointed in June 2020 to continue her service on the board through June 2026. She will serve as vice chair of the board of trustees and chair of the board's legislative and community relations committee. Previously, Solá-Carter served as the board’s chairperson and chair of the board’s audit and finance committee from July 2019 through June 2021 and board vice chairperson and chair of the board’s legislative and community relations committee from July 2018 through June 2019. She established Felícita Solá-Carter Consulting in 2009.Through her business, she is a senior advisor to government executives, and offers executive coaching, as well as consulting and training on leadership and diversity strategies. Prior to her consulting business, she was employed with the Social Security Administration from 1971 through 2009.
Meeting Schedule for Fiscal Year 2026
Meeting materials are posted seven days in advance and should be consulted for confirmation of time and location or online information. Materials can be found at www.howardcc.libguides.com/bot.
The board of trustees has set the dates below for its regular meetings and committee meetings during fiscal year 2026. All changes or additions to these meetings will be announced on the news page of Howard Community College’s website, which is located at: www.howardcc.edu/news.
The board of trustees of HCC is authorized by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Title 3 of the General Provisions Article § 3-305 (b) to conduct certain portions of its meetings in closed session. Therefore, the board will conduct a portion of its September 24, 2025; December 17, 2025; May 20, 2026; and June 5, 2026; meetings in closed session at the beginning or conclusion of the regular meeting or retreat. These meetings shall continue in closed session until the completion of business.
Board Meetings
Meetings start at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted:
- Wednesday, August 20, 2025 – work session, regular meeting,
- Wednesday, September 24, 2025 – work session, regular meeting, closed session
- Wednesday, October 29, 2025 – work session, regular meeting
- Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – work session, regular meeting
- Wednesday, December 17, 2025 – abbreviated regular meeting at 5 p.m., followed by closed session
- Wednesday, January 21, 2026 – budget work session only
- Wednesday, January 28, 2026 – regular meeting only
- Wednesday, February 25, 2026 – work session, regular meeting
- Wednesday, March 25, 2026 – work session, regular meeting
- Wednesday, April 29, 2026 – work session, regular meeting
- Wednesday, May 20, 2026 – work session, regular meeting, closed session
Full board meetings are currently scheduled to be held in person at the college. Board committee meetings are currently scheduled to be held virtually.
Audit and Finance Committee Meetings
Committee meetings start at 8:30 a.m.:
- Tuesday, September 9, 2025
- Wednesday, November 12, 2025
- Wednesday, March 11, 2026
- Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Legislative and Community Relations Committee Meetings
Committee meetings start at 8:30 a.m.:
- Wednesday, October 15, 2025
- Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Board Retreats
- Friday, June 5, 2026 – board retreat at 8:30 a.m., followed by closed session
A member of the public who wishes to present any matter of concern pertaining to the board must submit a written request to the secretary/treasurer of the board at least 72 hours prior to the regularly scheduled public meeting for review and response. In emergency situations, the board may, by a majority vote, give visitors who have not presented a written request in advance an opportunity to present their concerns to the board in any regular public meeting. The board, in recognition of the need to complete its business within reasonable time, may limit the presentation to three minutes.
For more information on meetings of the board of trustees, contact HCC’s Office of the President at 443-518-1820.
Howard Community College was recently named among the nation's top two-year colleges by Niche, an online college selection and data resource for families. HCC ranked #2 among all two-year institutions in Maryland and the top community college in the Baltimore metropolitan area. HCC enrolls nearly 22,000 credit and non-credit students of all ages from more than 104 countries and yields more than $343 million in economic impact as one of Howard County's largest employers.