St. Mary’s County is recruiting residents to fill vacancies across eight of its volunteer boards, commissions and committees, with applications due by Sept. 4.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County oversee dozens of these advisory bodies, which shape county policy on everything from housing to environmental protection before recommendations reach elected officials. Current openings span a wide range of civic functions: the Adult Public Guardianship Review Board, the Agriculture, Seafood & Forestry Board, the Museum Division’s Board of Trustees, the Commission for People with Disabilities, the Commission for Women, the Commission on the Environment, the Housing Authority Board and the Human Relations Commission.
Some of these bodies carry decades of history. The Commission for Women was established in 1976 under legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly specifically to advise the county commissioners on issues affecting women, including employment, health, education and legal rights; it typically meets monthly and has previously worked on programs addressing teen dating violence and healthy-relationship education in local schools. The Human Relations Commission, created under state local government law, is charged with promoting equal treatment for county residents regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status or disability. Other openings, like the Agriculture, Seafood & Forestry Board and the Commission on the Environment, weigh in on land use and natural-resource issues that regularly come before the county’s Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners.
A ninth vacancy carries additional restrictions: the Economic Development Commission is seeking an applicant specifically from one of three industry categories — defense technologies, advanced manufacturing, or agriculture and aquaculture — reflecting the sectors the county has identified as priorities for local economic growth.
Several other openings tie directly into county functions residents may already be familiar with. The Museum Division’s Board of Trustees oversees policy for the county’s museum sites, including St. Clement’s Island Museum, which is currently undergoing a full rebuild in Coltons Point ahead of a planned 2027 reopening. The Housing Authority Board sets policy for the county’s public and affordable housing programs, while the Adult Public Guardianship Review Board reviews cases involving court-appointed guardians for adults who can no longer make their own medical or financial decisions. The Commission for People with Disabilities advises the county on accessibility and services for residents with disabilities.
Applicants must submit a resume along with the county’s online application, available at www.stmaryscountymd.gov/boards, which also includes descriptions of each board’s specific role and meeting schedule. Appointments to these bodies are made by the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County. Residents with questions about the process can contact Diane Gleissner, who coordinates board and commission appointments for the county, at (301) 475-4200, ext. 1707.
The county’s full roster of boards, commissions and committees extends well beyond this round of vacancies, encompassing more than two dozen bodies covering areas such as historic preservation, hazard mitigation, police accountability, retiree benefits and property tax appeals — a structure that relies heavily on resident volunteers to function, since most seats are unpaid and terms are typically staggered so that only a portion of a board’s membership turns over in any given year.
