Governor Moore Announces Dr. Sanjay Rai as Acting Secretary for the Maryland Higher Education Commission

Press Release

Governor Wes Moore today announced Dr. Sanjay Rai as Acting Secretary for the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

"Dr. Rai brings more than 30 years of career experience and dedicated commitment to innovation, access, and leadership in higher education," said Gov. Moore. "The Maryland Higher Education Commission is critical to creating success for Maryland's students and I look forward to the transformative partnerships Dr. Rai will forge to build pathways to work, wages and wealth."

"I am honored to join the Moore-Miller administration. This is an historic opportunity to build upon a strong higher education system of community colleges, the University of Maryland System, and private colleges," said Dr. Rai. "We must create an inclusive higher education ecosystem that provides meaningful and affordable access to higher education and workforce training to all residents in the state. We will ensure that home grown talent combined with research advancements will make Maryland a prime destination for employers around the nation and the world for relocating, starting and expanding their businesses."

Dr. Sanjay Rai has consistently and vigorously advanced innovations that bolster student success in academic, career, technical, and workforce development programs throughout his career. He has worked to remove barriers to education access through the redesign of developmental education, revision of alternate placement policies, and embedding of coaches in classrooms to increase student success.

Dr. Rai's community college background provides a unique and valuable perspective on post-secondary educational alignment with academic and workforce needs. Dr. Rai also helped create programs that meet the needs of emerging industries like cloud computing, cybersecurity, cell and gene therapy, and data science.

Dr. Rai earned a doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas. He has received several awards for leadership, teaching, and scholarship and has authored numerous scholarly articles and other academic publications. He most recently served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and led the Workforce Development and Continuing Education Unit at Montgomery College.

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