Brenda Wolff was selected by her colleagues on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, to serve as president of the Montgomery County Board of Education. Karla Silvestre was elected as vice president. Both officers will serve a one-year term.

“I am honored to be chosen by my peers to serve as president of the Board as we navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the school system, county, state and the nation,” Ms. Wolff said. “My colleagues and I will work in close collaboration with the leadership of Montgomery County Public Schools, the County Council and the County Executive to plan for the safe return of students and ensure we continue to provide a world-class education that helps them meet their fullest potential.”

Ms. Wolff, a resident of Silver Spring, was elected to her first four-year term on November 6, 2018. For the past year, she has served as the vice president of the Board and the chair of the Board’s Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Committee. She also serves as the Board’s representative to the Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s Legislative Committee and the Federal Relations Network Committee. 

Ms. Wolff received a degree in mathematics from Smith College and a law degree from Suffolk University.

Ms. Silvestre, a resident of Silver Spring who was elected in November 2018, is serving her first term on the Board. She serves as chair of the Board’s Strategic Planning Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Special Populations and the Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Committee. In addition, she serves as the Board’s representative to the Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s Resolutions Committee. She 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 received a degree in biology from Florida State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.