ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights has named Cleveland Horton II as interim director following Alvin Gillard’s retirement, Governor Wes Moore announced this week.

Horton, a graduate of the Community College of Baltimore County, the University of Baltimore, and the Maryland Advisory Council on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, is a civil rights lawyer with extensive experience in employment law and equal employment opportunity regulations. He has served in senior state government positions, including as deputy director of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, and is committed to protecting the rights of all Marylanders.

“We must do everything in our power to defend the precious rights that past generations fought for — and current and future generations deserve,” said Gov. Moore. “I thank Alvin O. Gillard for his service to the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights for the past ten years, and I thank Cleveland L. Horton II for raising his hand to serve. Under his leadership, we will continue to safeguard the freedom and dignity of all Marylanders.”

Horton will serve as interim director until a permanent executive director can be appointed. The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights enforces Maryland’s laws against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state contracts, and works to promote and improve civil rights statewide.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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