Less Than A Year Before Bridge Fiasco, Maryland’s Dem Gov Put A DEI Consultant On State’s Port Commission

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) put a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant on the Maryland Port Commission just months before a container ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The supply chain on the East Coast and beyond now hangs in the balance as authorities will have to swiftly undertake complex feats of engineering to reopen the port and, eventually, the bridge.

Moore named Karenthia Barber to the Commission last August. The headline of the press release announcing the hire hailed her as the “first black woman to serve as Maryland Port Commissioner.” Her Ports Commission bio says she is “the Founder and CEO of Professional Development Associates, LLC. [sic] a consulting practice that provides leadership and workforce training, coaching, and diversity, equity and inclusion audits and consulting,” and a volunteer for the Maryland Democratic Party.