Mayor Brandon Scott poses with three new appointed board members

BALTIMORE – Ashiah Parker, Emily Ames-Messinger, and Dr. Stefan Lallinger have been appointed to the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners by Mayor Brandon M. Scott. They were sworn in during a ceremony on July 3 at the Baltimore City Hall. 

Ashiah Parker is the parent of a Baltimore City Public Schools’ student and Executive Director of No Boundaries Coalition, a non-profit organization that empowers Central West Baltimore residents to lead and live sustained community transformation. Ashiah is a member of multiple boards including her position as co-chair for the Baltimore City Local Control Advisory Board. Ashiah fills the vacancy created by the expired term of Commissioner Vernon Reid. 

Emily Ames-Messinger is a former English teacher at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School and former Community School Coordinator at James McHenry Elementary/Middle School. Emily works at the Center for Dispute Resolution in a program that provides restorative practices based on the sexual violence prevention curriculum for Baltimore City middle school students. Emily fills the vacancy created by the expired term of Commissioner Ateira Griffin. 

Dr. Stefan Lallinger is the Executive Director and Senior Fellow of Next100, an organization working to change the future of public policy and build a more inclusive, equal, democratic, and just America. He has served as a teacher, dean, assistant principal, and principal at the K-12 level. He is an expert reviewer for the Maryland State Department of Education and a senior facilitator for the Harvard University Business School. Dr. Lallinger fills the vacancy created by Commissioner Durryle Brooks's expired term. 

In addition to the new appointments, Commissioner Andrew Coy and Commissioner Khalilah Slater Harrington have also been reappointed to the Board of School Commissioners for a second term.  

Coy has been a member of the Board since 2022. Slater Harrington has been a member of the Board since 2023.  

To learn more about the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners, visit the City Schools website at www.baltimorecityschools.org/page/about-our-board