Sitting down with Secretary of State Susan Lee

By Sachini Adikari Staff Writer

Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee has been serving in state government since 2002, when she was elected into the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 16, which covers the southern end of Montgomery County. She was the first Asian American elected to the Maryland State Senate and the first Asian American woman elected to the Maryland House of Delegates.

In January 2023, Lee was appointed to her current office by Gov. Wes Moore. She is a Montgomery County native and Winston Churchill alum. Lee spoke with Silver Chips to reflect on her historic career in Maryland public office.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What would you say has been your most rewarding government role?

Probably being in the legislature and being able to pass really profound landmark bills that impact a lot of people for the better and to improve and enhance and empower them, to uplift them, particularly women, children and families and individuals from vulnerable communities. Also, getting appointed by Governor Wes Moore to be Secretary of State, so being able to hopefully elevate Maryland as a global leader in both the political sector and economic sector

Can you explain your role as Secretary of State?

The Secretary of State is basically like Maryland’s ambassador to the world, but also to other in all kinds of fields, not just goods and services. My priorities are also increasing that exchange in the area of life sciences, cybersecurity, bioscience, nanobiotechnology, emerging technologies, and, in addition to higher education and other types of fields, bringing our rural communities closer [to] benefit Maryland and also those countries too in mutual cooperation.

How has your previous role as a State Senator and Representative affected how you go about being Secretary of State, and would you recommend having as much experience as you have?

Well, I understand a lot of issues that are confronting Maryland. I’m in tune with the district that I not only represented but also the world. The district I was representing, District 16, was in Montgomery County, but also [I encountered] issues [on the] international sphere, things that affect new communities like people of color, women, immigrants, and vulnerable communities. I think I have a little bit of international understanding too. Coupled with that background and all the experience that I’ve had with my desire to be in public service, I think it’s a good combination that makes me equipped to be able to do an excellent job in this particular position.

Also, I think having experience [certainly] helps. I was a legislator. I was an attorney in the private and public sector. I also was very active in the community. I was one of the co-founders of the coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats of Maryland. It’s the largest Asian American Pacific Islander Democratic organization statewide. It was so important that at our issues and understand our community’s challenges, so this wasn’t only candidates that were AAPI. We wanted them to understand our community’s challenges and work with us as partners to be good legislators that are sensitive to our community by passing laws that help uplift and empower our communities.

How does being the first Asian American woman appointed Secretary of State affect your work now and the role in general?

Well, I hope that boys and girls that look like me or are of color or from immigrant backgrounds feel that they can be Secretary of State one day too or be elected to office as a member of the House of Delegates or as a member of the Senate. It’s important that we take control of our own destiny, but also that our kids and future generations understand our contributions to building America too. Because very often we have been marginalized in history. Our contributions have never been mentioned enough, and that needs to change because people of color, isolated. I don’t want any kid to go through that. I think it’s important that we all work to give back to our community so we can make this kind of a better world for future generations.

What have accomplishedyouso far in office?

Well, right now we’re trying to make sure that we increase more international partnership and exchange between those that we had Sister State relationships with. My office and the Maryland National Guard [met] with the ambassador of Estonia and the Minister of the Defense of Estonia and his team. My team and I partnered with the Maryland National Guard because they share some issues dealing with cybersecurity and defense because Estonia is in a region now where they have to watch over their shoulder because Ukraine and Russia are nearby. We have a 30-year relationship with Estonia.

And also weeks before, I met with representatives from nine embassies from Asia. And that showed us that they are very interested in doing business with Maryland. We also met with a delegation from Ireland, and we’ve met with the ambassador of Mexico and his team and also the ambassador from Sierra Leone. Since my appointment, we’ve hit the ground running even though I just started in January of this year. I just want to elevate the Secretary of State’s office and be that global leader in international trade investment and science and technology. I want Maryland to be the epicenter of those types of fields in the world and be regarded as such.

What advice do you have for students wanting to pursue a career in government?

Compiled by Cate Sauri Staff Writer

Biden approves the Willow project

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The Willow Project’s approval contradicts Biden’s campaign promises to prevent new drilling of oil and gas and to take action against the climate crisis. The Biden administration argued that failure to approve the project would leave them vulnerable to lawsuits, but some environmental advocates are skeptical about the legitimacy of the claim as multiple organizations have sued the administration over the approval.

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MD State Board of Education releases school report cards

The Maryland State Department of Education released the 2022 Maryland School Report Card on March 9. It is the first report card released since 2019 and will serve as a new starting point for student growth and progress.

states in the United States. And so I deal with things like, for instance, in our international division, [the] Sister States Program. And what we do is we partner with other countries who have states that have mutual interests and benefits to both Maryland and those countries. And what we do is we try to increase things like international trade, investment development exchange, and partnerships, and the time that communities of color, particularly the Asian American Pacific Islander community, empower itself [and] be taken seriously rather than ignored. So for that organization, we channeled all our resources in the community, engaged in things like voter education and voter registration, getting involved in state, local, and federal races to advance and support candidates that could advance immigrants, and everybody from all backgrounds, they all help build America. Everyone’s contributions should be recognized. For a kid like me when I grew up in Montgomery County, there were not too many people that looked like me. So I had nothing really to identify with. And often I was bullied and marginalized. And when you don’t have anyone to look up to or identify with, you’re kind of

Just do it. Whether you run for office yourself or you’re appointed to a top government position, or if you just want to do public service, or you want to work in a non-profit organization, or if you just want to be a teacher, lawyer, doctor, or a social worker and volunteer in the community, just do it. Do whatever you can to make this a better world. You can make contributions in different ways, but always be engaged in your community and all the issues around you so that you can be an active participant and not a passive spectator in this world and so you can change the world for the better. When you give it your best shot, something good will happen. I’m pretty sure of it.

The report card rated schools on a five-star scale and ranked each school based on five indicators: Academic Achievement, Graduation Rate, Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency, Readiness for Post-Secondary Success, and School Quality and Student Success. More than 75 percent of schools received three or more stars in 2022. 63 percent of schools maintained their ratings from the 2019 report, while over 25 percent received lower scores. Blair earned 63.2 points out of 100 possible points, 1.7 points higher than in 2019, and maintained a four-star rating. Blair’s percentile rank is 66, which is considered high by the Maryland State Department of Education but is lower than its previous ranking of 52.