On Tuesday June 14th, we hosted a live conversation with Karla Silvestre, Candidate for Montgomery County Board of Education Vice President; and Brenda Wolff Candidate for Montgomery County Board of Education President.
Karla Silvestre is currently the Vice-President of the Board of Education in Montgomery County and serves as chair of the Board of Education’s Strategic Planning Committee. She has 25 years of experience in youth development, education, workforce development, and community engagement. Ms. Silvestre has served as the Latino liaison for the County Executive in Montgomery County’s Office of Community Partnerships, as well as manager of the county’s Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center. Ms. Silvestre currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement at Montgomery College, leading the College’s efforts to be the community’s college through partnerships, engagement centers, outreach, and collaborative problem solving.
Ms. Silvestre graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree, and received her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She is married with one child who attends MCPS and one that graduated in 2020.
Brenda Wolff is currently in her second term as the President of the Board of Education. Previously, she has served as the Vice-President of the Board and the Chair of the Board’s Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Committee. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), and is the Vice-Chair of MABE’s Legislative Committee. Ms. Wolff served 27 years in various capacities in the United States Department of Education. She served as the Chief Regional Attorney in the Boston Office for Civil Rights and the Deputy and Acting Director in the Philadelphia Office for Civil Rights. She also served as the Director of the National Institute of Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking and Management, and as the Acting Director of the National Institute on Education of At-Risk Students. She retired having served as the Program Manager for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Ms. Wolff has also served as an attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and a Hearing Officer for the Massachusetts Public Utility Commission.
Ms. Wolff graduated from Smith College with a degree in mathematics, and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School. She is married and has a grandson who attends MCPS and a daughter who teaches in MCPS.
