December 8, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes - Maryland State Board of Barbers

A meeting of the State Board of Barbers was held Monday, December 8, 2025,
at 10:00 a.m. in-person at 100 S. Charles Street, Baltimore. Maryland, and via
teleconference.

Board Member Attendees

Mr. Larry Franklin - Chairperson
Mr. Andrew Campbell - Industry Member
Mr. Wade Menendez - Industry Member
Ms. Toni Wallace - Industry Member
Mr. Channing Trent- Industry Member
Ms. Lanine Swann, Consumer Member
Ms. Yasmine Young- Consumer Member

Other Staff Attendees

Ms. Nicole Fletcher- Executive Director
Ms. Breona Scott- Assistant Executive Director
Ms. Leslie Braxton- Licensing Supervisor
Mr. Jacob Guy- Board Administrator
Mr. Kenneth Sigman- Advice Counsel
Ms. Renee Robertson- Continuing Education Coordinator

Agenda

Quorum Announced, and Meeting Called to Order

A quorum was announced by Chairperson Mr. Larry Franklin and the meeting was
called to order at 10:03 Α.Μ.

Approval of Agenda

Chairperson Mr. Larry Franklin then asked for a motion to approve the December 8, 2025, agenda. Mr. Wade Menendez made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Toni Wallace, and the agenda was unanimously approved.

Approval of August 11, 2025 Minutes

Chairperson Mr. Larry Franklin then asked for a motion to approve the August 11, 2025, meeting minutes. A motion was made by Mr. Andrew Campbell to approve the minutes, seconded by Ms. Yasmine Young and the motion unanimously passed.

New Business

A. RECAP OF AUGUST 11, 2025 MEETING

Chairperson Mr. Larry Franklin started off New Business by providing a recap of August’s Board meeting. During this meeting Board members discussed the possibility of holding individual licensees accountable for violations, rather than solely issuing fines to shop owners. At the conclusion of the conversation it was determined that the Board should continue to enforce the law as written, handling each violation on a case by case basis, and taking an educational approach. Next, Board members discussed possible community outreach programs. Several Board members indicated that they would be willing to contribute by meeting with different organizations and advocating for these kinds of collaborations. Finally, Mr. Channing Trent introduced the topic of license verification for barbers wishing to offer services through mobile booking sites. Board members agreed that while enforcement could be challenging, it would be a good idea for the Board to ensure that app creators and developers are informed of licensing requirements. This may encourage them to implement some kind of license verification for those wishing to offer services through their apps.

B. AMENDMENTS TO REGULATIONS

Ms. Toni Wallace headed this portion of the meeting, and began by informing those on the call that the Board previously had the authority to issue misdemeanors to unlicensed individuals practicing barbering. That authority was overturned in 2017, and Ms. Wallace stated that she has gone to legislators indicating her support for reimplementation of this authority. Ms. Wallace believes that this would be a strong step in deterring unlicensed barbers from providing services. Ms. Wallace offered her opinion that simply issuing fines has not been enough. Ms. Yasmine Young provided some opposition to the idea of criminalizing unlicensed services. Ms. Young made the comparison to several other misdemeanors and stated that she does not believe unlicensed barbering services rise to the same level of harm caused. Ms. Young went on to say that each case may rise to varying levels of severity, and if such unlicensed services were to result in harm to a client then maybe that penalty should look different. In response, Mr. Andrew Campbell stated that harm to individuals often is the result of unlicensed services, and that is what the Board seeks to prevent. Mr. Channing Trent then spoke up, voicing his support for reintroducing criminalization of unlicensed services. Mr. Trent cited that through his own research he determined that in many other industries individuals are charged with misdemeanors for practicing without a license. Ms. Wallace then spoke again to clarify that she still believes in the Board’s general approach of educating violators and giving them a chance to come into compliance. She believes that a criminal penalty could serve to prevent bad actors who become repeat offenders and show a clear lack of respect for the rules.

The other piece of the discussion was an initiative proposing that a larger portion of fines issued by the Barber Board remain in the Board’s pockets, which garnered support from multiple Board members. Ms. Wallace stated her belief that this would allow the Board to properly staff and fund compliance enforcement efforts. Ms. Yasmine Young then offered the perspective that the Board should be conscious of the appearance of overpolicing in order to generate more money for the Board. Mr. Andrew Campbell then asked about budget structures in other states and how they compare to Maryland. In response, Advice Counsel Mr. Kenneth Sigman echoed the point made by Ms. Young that fines collected in Maryland are usually added to the general fund rather than going to the individual Board to avoid the appearance or actuality of Boards issuing fines to inflate their budget. Board members agreed that each of these topics should be discussed further, and that they would be tabled until the next Board meeting so that Board members could properly research and prepare.

C. AI ALTERED ADVERTISING IMAGES

Industry Member Ms. Toni Wallace also led the discussion for Item C. AI Altered Advertising Images. Ms. Wallace offered her concern that with increased access to Artificial Intelligence and image altering software, it has never been easier for service providers to misrepresent their skills. Ms. Wallace cited her own experience in the barbershop, as well as findings on social media indicating that this is a growing issue. Ms. Wallace asked how the Board can better regulate such advertising, and if an update to COMAR would be a necessary step. Mr. Channing Trent responded that the nature of advertising is that what you see is not always what you get, and that can be applied to any industry. Licensing Supervisor Ms. Leslie Braxton then spoke stating the difficulty of enforcement, as there can be a lot of grey area. As a licensing board, issues of dissatisfaction with services provided fall outside of the Board’s jurisdiction. Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher then jumped in, and started by stating that she understands and appreciates Ms. Wallace’s concern, but she believes that it could be premature to incorporate new language into COMAR. Misrepresentation of services is already covered in regulations, and the Board has the resources to emphasize and remind service providers that this is prohibited. Ultimately, there was no decision to be made, however the idea did generate interest among Board members to possibly introduce a COMAR review committee, in the interest of updating outdated language and closing any loopholes that may be uncovered. The Board intends to add the initiative to the next meeting's agenda to vote on the possibility of introducing a COMAR review committee.

D. EXPLORING REGULATORY CHANGES FOR OFF-SITE BARBERING
SERVICES

Ms. Toni Wallace introduced the topic by stating that barbering services are commonly performed outside of registered barber shops and salons. As statutes are currently written it is only legal to perform services in a Board registered establishment. This places limitations on many barbers' ability to participate in community outreach programs. Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher then clarified the statute for everyone: C. A master barber or barber may not practice barbering in any place other than an authorized barber shop or an authorized beauty salon unless the following conditions are met:

The services are sponsored by an authorized shop;
The licensee is fully supplied with sanitized and disinfected equipment by the
sponsoring shop and the implements and tools are carried back and forth in an
appropriate manner to assure they are not contaminated;
The sponsoring shop maintains complete records of all services performed, and the
date, time, place, and charge for the services; and
All tools, equipment, and complete records are available for inspection.

When it comes to community outreach, it is important to distinguish between services provided for compensation vs. offering free services. When charging clients for services each of the stipulations outlined above must be met, if services are provided not for compensation, then the provider is considered to be in good standing. Ms. Wallace and Ms. Fletcher agreed that the Board should be using resources to communicate this information, as many industry members are likely not aware of the requirements. Mr. Channing Trent then chimed in, offering his idea of creating some sort of temporary licensure that individuals who could not be sponsored by a brick and mortar location could apply for. Ms. Fletcher offered her support for the idea and went further stating that this would have to be a statutory change when it comes to introducing a new license type. Ms. Fletcher suggested that it could ease the regulatory process if the permit was issued as a temporary letter rather than a new license type. Mr. Trent also spoke on how introducing the new regulation could be an additional revenue stream for the state. In response Mr. Sigman stated that fees have to reflect administrative costs and the revenue generated should be viewed as a financial net wash. Ms. Toni Wallace followed up indicating that, with Maryland being such a transient area, outreach programs could lead to a spike in licensing applications via reciprocity. Ms. Fletcher indicated that she heard many good ideas, and would have to work up the chain of command to determine the best way to implement a temporary license or letter.

Old Business

A. CURRICULUM UPDATES

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher announced that there are no new curricula approvals to
report, however, there are currently two curricula under Board review.

B. INSPECTION SUMMARY

Licensing Supervisor Ms. Leslie Braxton provided an Inspection Summary for
today's meeting. The data was collected from August 7, 2025 - December 1, 2025.

33 New shop applications received
7 New shops pending inspections - to be assigned
0 Complaints received
1 Complaints - open / to be assigned
6 Complaints - inspections completed
103 Inspections conducted
27 Inspections passed
23 Inspections failed
1 Failed - new shop inspections
3 Failed - late renewal inspections
4 Failed - complaint
3 Failed - per board inspections
12 Failed - routine inspections
14 Closed at time of inspection
39 Permanently Closed
0 Full Time Inspectors Currently on Staff (conducts inspections
5 days/week)
3 Per diem Inspectors Currently on Staff (conducts inspections 1
days/week)

Public Comment

Shannon Rice - Ms. Rice spoke at the meeting to ask for an update regarding collaboration
between the Board and the college of Southern Maryland. The collaboration would serve to
assist barbers in preparing for the theoretical portion of examinations. Mr. Channing Trent, who
headed the initial outreach, stated that they were at a bit of a standstill in generating interest from
Master Barbers to aid in teaching the program. Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher stated
that she had created a survey to be issued to Master Barbers, but that is still pending approval to
be issued. Ms. Fletcher indicated that she would follow up for an update.

Adjournment

Chairperson Mr. Larry Franklin requested a motion to call the meeting to adjournment at 11:33
A.M. Mr. Andrew Campbell made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Wade
Menendez and the motion unanimously passed.

APPROVED BY:_________
on February 9, 2025.