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Maryland Professor Chosen to Fill District 16 Vacant Delegate Seat

Following three rounds of voting Tuesday night, Sarah Wolek, a senior faculty specialist at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, was chosen by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to be a state delegate in the 16th District.

If approved by Gov. Wes Moore, Wolek will fill Ariana Kelly’s seat. Kelly recently was chosen to be District 16th’s senator. That seat previously was held by Susan Lee, who now is Maryland Secretary of State.

There were 17 candidates. In the third, and final, round, Wolek received 16 of a possible 24 votes.

Wolek is a Wooton High School graduate. She earned a degree in economics and information technology from the University of Maryland.

Wolek has taught at the University of Maryland since 2017. She is founder and director of The Intentional Life Lab, which offers courses to cultivate student wellbeing and mental health.

She worked for the federal government for about 10 years, most recently as the chief of staff in the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

During the Obama Administration, Wolek was a policy analyst and program manager at the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Melissa Bender came in second for the position. She is a self-described education advocate and policy wonk.

District 16 covers the area around Bethesda and Potomac. It currently is represented by Delegates Marc Korman and Sara Love and Sen. Kelly.

Photo from the University of Maryland

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