DISTRICT 5

Brenda Wolff serves as Vice President of the Montgomery County Board of Education, where she has been a leading voice for educational equity, accountability, and expanded opportunities for students since her election in 2018. Re-elected in 2022, she previously served as Board President during one of the most consequential periods in the district’s history, helping guide Montgomery County Public Schools through the reopening and recovery efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. Wolff’s commitment to public education and civil rights spans more than four decades. A graduate of Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, Maryland, she earned a degree in mathematics from Smith College and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She began her legal career at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission before joining the U.S. Department of Education, where she served for 27 years in senior leadership and civil rights roles focused on educational access, equity, and systemic accountability.

During her tenure at the Department of Education, Ms. Wolff served as Chief Regional Attorney in the Boston Office for Civil Rights, Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Philadelphia Office for Civil Rights, Director of the National Institute of Educational Governance, Finance, Policymaking, and Management, and later retired as Program Manager for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Her decision to run for the Board of Education was deeply informed by her civil rights work and her advocacy for students in Montgomery County. Through mentoring programs and community leadership, she saw firsthand the persistent disparities in discipline, opportunity, and access affecting Black and Brown students, particularly in the county’s eastern communities. Those experiences reinforced her belief that educational systems must actively confront inequities rather than simply acknowledge them.

Throughout her time on the Board, Ms. Wolff has championed efforts to improve cultural competency, strengthen accountability around student discipline data, and expand equitable access to academic programs and opportunities across all regions of Montgomery County. She has been a consistent advocate for ensuring that every student, regardless of background or zip code, has access to rigorous instruction, supportive learning environments, and pathways to success.

In addition to her work locally, Ms. Wolff serves as President-Elect of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and previously served as Treasurer and vice chair of the organization’s Legislative Committee. She was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women in 2022 and received the SHAPE Distinguished Advocate for Healthful Living Award in 2021.

Above all, Ms. Wolff views public service not as a position, but as a responsibility — one grounded in the belief that education remains the most powerful pathway to opportunity and that every child deserves to be seen, supported, and challenged to reach their full potential.