Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday that Paul Monteiro — a former chief of staff to the president of Howard University and former Obama administration official — will lead a new service-year program for high school graduates as the new secretary of the Department of Service and Innovation.
Monteiro is a former national director of AmeriCorps Volunteers in America and recently worked as the director of the Community Relations Service in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Monteiro said the new program “will be a place that recognizes and celebrates the many ways Marylanders are already serving, even as it builds new pathways for us to do even more.”
“Our aim is to build an authentic, substantive, and challenging experience for our graduates to obtain invaluable hard and soft skills, and financial support to pursue higher education, even as they use the year to discern where their interests and talents are best developed and hopefully find a sense of greater purpose for their lives,” he said, The Associated Press reported.
The post-high school program will consist of participants receiving a stipend and employment experience for a year working for the government and the private and nonprofit sectors on behalf of serving the community. The program was one of Moore’s platforms during his successful campaign for governor last year.
The Maryland General Assembly has advanced the program. Observers note that Moore is moving quickly to submit Monteiro’s nomination to the state Senate for confirmation before the session ends next Monday.