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Councilman James Torrance
Baltimore City Council
Councilman James Torrance believes systemic change comes from principled leadership and collaborative problem-solving
that empowers communities and protects vulnerable neighbors. A Baltimore native raised in public housing, he began
serving his community at 13 and advocated for improved conditions at Carver Vo-Tech, urging city and state leaders to
invest in the school’s facilities.
Committed to civic engagement, James taught with the YMCA’s Youth Development Programs and mentored students while at
Towson University, where he served as SGA vice president and on the Maryland Higher Education Student Advisory Council.
As a City Hall fellow, he supported Cleaner Greener Baltimore initiatives, including single-stream recycling, and helped
improve Adopt-A-Lot workflows.
In 2010, he served as a legislative aide and interim chief of staff to former State Senator Verna Jones-Rodwell. He joined
Baltimore City Public Schools in 2012 as a CEO graduate fellow, working on class size research and principal selection,
and later specialized in policy, strategy, and compliance. In 2015, he supported investigations for the U.S. House Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform focused on the securities and communications industries.
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Dr. Chanta Haywood
Vice President, Coppin State University
Dr. Chanta Haywood is an experienced university administrator, researcher, and scholar with nearly 25 years of executive
leadership across four university systems (Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and Maryland). She has served as graduate
dean, associate provost for academic affairs, associate vice president for research, and vice president for advancement.
Her academic credentials include a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of California, San Diego (1995) and a
B.A. in English from Florida A&M University (1990). At Florida State University, she advanced through the faculty ranks,
earned Outstanding University Teaching and Outstanding Faculty Leader awards, and served as Director of the Communications
Program in London.
During the Obama Administration, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed Dr. Haywood to the Jacob K. Javits
Fellowship Board, where she served as Chair for four years. She has participated in program and grant reviews, including
President Obama’s First in the World grant program.
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