Former College Park City Councilmember Joseline Peña‑Melnyk was sworn in on Dec. 16 as the 109th Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Peña‑Melnyk, a Democrat who became the second woman speaker and the first Afro‑Latina to hold that position, lives in College Park Woods and has served as a state District 21 delegate since taking office in January 2007.
“I’ve lived in Maryland for over 30 years,” Peña‑Melnyk said during her acceptance speech to a packed chamber in Annapolis. “This state has shaped me as much as I have been shaped by my experiences.”
Peña‑Melnyk replaced Speaker Adrienne A. Jones of Baltimore County, who served in that role for almost seven years and stepped down in December. Jones, who was the first woman and the first African American to hold that position in Maryland history, became a delegate in 1997 and will retain her seat in the House.
In her speech, Peña‑Melnyk called Jones “steady, courageous [and she] had an unwavering commitment to the people of Maryland.”
Peña‑Melnyk reminded her colleagues and others who witnessed the ceremony, “My journey did not begin in these chambers. It began in the Dominican Republic in a small wooden house with a tin roof, one with holes where the rain will come through. When it rained, my family would place pots and pans around the house to catch the falling drops.”
Later, she added, “This moment belongs not just to me, but to every child catching rain in a pot.”
Peña‑Melnyk, who ran unopposed for the role of speaker, called herself an “inclusive” leader.
“This chamber’s strength has never depended on unanimous agreement,” she said, noting she intends to collaborate with both Democrats and Republicans.
The outgoing chair of the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Peña‑Melnyk, a lawyer, worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In 2003, she won her seat on the College Park City Council, where she served until she became a member of the General Assembly in 2007.
Peña‑Melnyk served alongside state Sen. Jim Rosapepe and Delegate Ben Barnes, both also seated in 2007, and Delegate Mary Lehman, who has served District 21 since 2019.
District 21 serves College Park, Beltsville, Adelphi and parts of Laurel and Greenbelt, as well as part of Anne Arundel County.
Lehman, who nominated Peña‑Melnyk for the speaker role, called her colleague “a tireless public servant who has given 100% to the job of delegate for nearly 20 years.”
Peña‑Melnyk encouraged Lehman, who once worked as her chief of staff, to run for office.
“She sees in others what they may not see in themselves and challenges people to be their very best,” Lehman said. “What a remarkable journey for a self‑described island girl from the Dominican Republic.”
Peña‑Melnyk was the only nominee for speaker after her three presumed opponents dropped out of the running to clear the way for her election.
One of them was Barnes, who also lives in College Park and said the new speaker “puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She considers her constituents as family, as she does this House of Delegates.”
Peña‑Melnyk noted that a challenge for the House in the upcoming session, which begins on Jan. 14, will be to address “the serious budget challenges we face with honesty and discipline” and “to protect working families. … My experiences will guide me with commitment and fairness. I will fight for everyone. I don’t care where you come from.”