Second commission he will be serving.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has appointed prominent Indian American Benoy Thomas to the Children’s Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council. The appointment is for four years. Thomas is likely to take the oath of office in the second week of December. The Council, which was formed in 2000, is tasked with identifying environment-related health issues for children and protecting children from exposure to environmental hazards. It also advises the Maryland General Assembly on legislation and recommends guidelines for agencies to help reduce and eliminate children’s exposure to environmental hazards, according to its website.
This is the second commission Thomas, a US Department of Justice official, has been appointed to by O’Malley. In September 2013, he was named to be a member of the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities (CEJSC).
It is rare for someone to serve on two state commissions.
It is also one of the last appointments by the outgoing Maryland governor, who leaves office in January after serving eight years.
“Thank you for making this strong commitment to serve the best interest of our citizens,” O’Malley wrote in the appointment letter. “With your assistance and support, I know we will succeed in our goal to make a positive difference for all Marylanders.”
Thomas’ name was proposed to the governor by Dr. Clifford S. Mitchell, an assistant director at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Lisa Nissley, who is the environmental justice coordinator at the Maryland Department of Environment.
“I am once again grateful to Gov. O’Malley for appointing me to another commission,” Thomas told The American Bazaar. “It gives me another opportunity to serve the people of Maryland, which, besides being one of the most progressive states in the United States, has also been my home for the past two decades.”
Thomas also thanked Dr. Mitchell and Ms. Nissley for proposing his name to the governor.
An immigrant from Kerala, India, Thomas was previously a member of the Working Committee of the Governor’s Council for New Americans. He served on the East Montgomery County Citizen’s Advisory Board for six years.
Thomas, a prominent child welfare expert, has worked both in government and private sector. He worked for the Government of the District of Columbia for 20 years. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, he was the Mid-Atlantic regional director of KidsPeace, a leading national nonprofit.