Brooke Lierman

Lierman was born in Washington, DC February 14, 1979. Lierman graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 1997. In 2001, she graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in history. She later attended the University of Texas, Austin School of Law where she earned a J.D. Between college and law schools, Lierman was an AmeriCorps VISTA member at The DREAM Program in Vermont, working with children living in public housing developments. She worked on the 2002 campaign of the late Senator Paul Wellstone, and on the presidential campaign of Howard Dean and John Kerry. Immediately prior to going to law school, Lierman worked at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. During law school, Lierman was President of the American Constitution Society and worked as a policy advisor to Texas State Senator, Rodney Ellis. Lierman clerked for the Chief Judge of the federal District Court of Maryland from 2009-2010 (Judge Benson Legg and Judge Deborah Chasanow). [1]

Today, in addition to serving as a State Delegate, Lierman is Of Counsel at the Baltimore civil rights firm of Brown, Goldstein, & Levy LLP, where she handles a variety of civil rights and disability rights cases. As an attorney at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, Lierman has fought and won battles for the rights of people with disabilities [2] and against wage theft.[3] In 2013, Lierman was featured in Baltimore Magazine’s “40 under 40”, a list of the region’s top, young professionals.[4] Lierman also won the distinction of The Daily Record’s Top 100 Women Awards in 2019. [5]

Lierman is a trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art [6] and on the board of Advocates for Children and Youth and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.[7] She is a past board member of CPHA (Citizens Housing and Planning Association) and the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance.

Shortly after the election of President Donald Trump in November 2016, Lierman spearheaded the creation of a coalition of female volunteers and activists, Baltimore Women United. The organization held their first meeting in January, 2017 and continues to be a resource for female candidates, activists and volunteers in the greater Baltimore region.[8] Lierman co-founded and co-chairs Maryland Women for Biden. [9]

Lierman was sworn in as a member of the House of Delegates in January 2015 and assigned to the Appropriations committee.[10] In 2017, Lierman was named both Legislator of the Year by Maryland Hunger Solutions for her work on hunger issues, and a Green Legislative Champion by the Maryland League of Conservation Workers (the only legislator from Baltimore City to receive the distinction).[11] In her role on the House Appropriations Committee, Lierman had oversight in managing Maryland's $42 billion budget, including prioritizing funds for education, services for people with disabilities, and public transit, and also holding state agencies accountable for fiscal responsibility and program performance. Lierman has oversight of the environmental and transportation agencies, and has pressed those agencies, as well as the Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation, on enforcement of laws.

In 2019, new House Speaker Adrienne Jones appointed Lierman to chair the Land Use & Ethics Subcommittee of the Environment & Transportation Committee. She also serves on the Joint Committee on Pension Oversight and the Joint Committee on Ending Homelessness, as well as the Baltimore Regional Revitalization Workgroup.

Lierman has carried and passed a wide array of important statewide initiatives. Some of these initiatives include:

Public Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2018[12]

Prohibition on Sexual Activity Between Police Officers and People in Custody[13]

The Jill Wrigley Memorial Scholarship Expansion Act[14]

Prohibitions on Suspensions and Expulsions for Pre-K to Second Graders[15]

Maryland Transit Administration - Farebox Recovery Rate - Repeal[16]

Labor and Employment - Flexible Leave - Use of Leave for Family Illness[17]

Maryland Transit Administration Oversight and Planning Board[18]

Community Cleanup and Greening Act of 2016[19]

Expanded Polystyrene Food Service Products - Prohibition The HOME Act (2020)[20]

Outside of the legislative session, Lierman maintains an active presence in her neighborhoods by visiting schools, meeting with business leaders, and acting as a convener and networker for communities and organizations.[21]

During the pandemic, she recruited World Central Kitchen to come to Baltimore [22] and organized a donation drive of extra funding for City Schools families with food insecurity.[23] She also hosts regular online briefings to keep people informed about relevant issues.[24] Lierman is married to Eben Hansel and they have two children.[25]

• Media related to Brooke Lierman at Wikimedia Commons