Skip to Content Accessibility Information

June 8, 2026 Minutes - Maryland State Board of Barbers

Monday, June 8, 2026

A meeting of the State Board of Barbers was held Monday, June 8 2026, 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
  • Ms. Toni Wallace - Industry Member
  • Mr. Channing Trent- Industry Member
  • Ms. Lanine Swann, Consumer Member

Other Staff Attendees

  • Ms. Nicole Fletcher- Executive Director
  • Ms. Breona Scott- Assistant Executive Director
  • Ms. Leslie Braxton- Licensing Supervisor
  • Ms. Peggy Dall'Acqua- Advice Counsel
  • Ms. Renee Robertson- Continuing Education Coordinator

Agenda

Quorum Announced and Meeting Called to Order

A quorum was announced by Chairperson Mr. Franklin and the meeting was called to order at 10:02 Α.Μ.

Approval of Agenda

Prior to approval of the agenda, Executive Director Nicole Fletcher requested that the Board strike the Curriculum Review Checklist from Old Business due to a discrepancy identified by staff. A motion was made by Ms. Wallace, seconded by Mr. Campbell, and unanimously approved.

Approval of April 13, 2026 Minutes

Chairperson Mr. Franklin asked for a motion to approve the April 13, 2026 meeting minutes. A motion was made by Ms. Wallace, seconded by Mr. Campbell, and the motion unanimously passed.

New Business

A. RECAP OF April 13, 2026 MEETING

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher provided a recap of the April Board meeting. She discussed the recent Mid-Atlantic Association of Career Schools (MAACS) meeting regarding the proposed federal Gainful Employment Rule and the concerns surrounding its potential impact on barbering and cosmetology programs. Ms. Fletcher also informed the Board that the Sunset Bill (SB133) had advanced to the Governor for approval.

B. TESTING VENDOR RFP

Ms. Fletcher provided an update regarding the Board's testing vendor procurement process. She explained that the Request for Proposals (RFP) is currently open, and prospective testing vendors are in the question-and-answer phase before submitting proposals.

Ms. Fletcher advised that the Department recently met with the Office of Administration and Procurement staff to review the RFP requirements and expectations. Once proposals are received, the evaluation committee will review submissions and recommend a vendor for contract award.

C. STAFF/BOARD ROSTER UPDATE

Ms. Fletcher announced several staffing changes.

Mr. Jacob Guy has accepted another position within the Division and no longer serves as Board Administrator. A new Board Administrator has been hired and is expected to begin employment in mid-June and will be introduced at the Board's next meeting.

Former Board member Ms. Yasmine Young no longer serves on the Board, creating a vacancy for a Consumer Member. Members were encouraged to share the Governor's Appointments Office information with qualified individuals interested in serving.

Director of Government Affairs Mr. Andrew Friel reviewed the statutory qualifications for Consumer Members and offered to assist prospective applicants by reviewing their qualifications prior to submission.

D. COMPLAINT COMMITTEE PROCESS

The Board discussed the current complaint review process and a proposal regarding administrative handling of inspection violations corrected within the statutory ten-day correction period.

Staff explained that the proposal was intended to improve efficiency by allowing Board leadership to administratively dismiss violations that had been timely corrected while continuing to refer more serious matters including unlicensed activity, unresolved sanitation violations, interference with inspectors, prohibited services, and other significant violations to the Complaint Committee.

Board members discussed maintaining appropriate oversight while ensuring timely resolution of corrected violations. Advice Counsel Ms. Peggy Dall'Acqua clarified that although the statute refers generally to the "Board," the Board may delegate certain ministerial responsibilities to Board staff.

Following discussion, Ms. Wallace made a motion to authorize Board administrative staff to dismiss complaints when a licensee corrects each alleged violation within ten (10) days of written notice and to provide written notification of dismissal to the licensee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Campbell and unanimously approved.

E. MONTHLY MEETING PROPOSAL

Ms. Wallace proposed increasing the frequency of Complaint Committee meetings in order to improve efficiency and allow more timely review of complaint matters.

Following discussion, Board members agreed that increasing the frequency of the Complaint Committee meetings, rather than the full Board meetings, would better address operational needs.

A motion was made by Ms. Toni Wallace for the Complaint Committee to meet monthly. The motion was seconded by Mr. Channing Trent and unanimously approved.

Old Business

A. CURRICULUM APPROVAL

The Board received the recommendation of the Curriculum Review Committee regarding the barber curriculum submitted by Transformation Beauty & Barber Academy located in Edgewood, Maryland.

B. INSPECTION SUMMARY

Licensing Supervisor Ms. Leslie Braxton provided an Inspection Summary for today's meeting. The data was collected from April 8, 2026 - June 5, 2026.

5 New shop applications received

2 New shops pending inspections - to be assigned

1 Complaints received

1 Complaints - open / to be assigned

1 Complaints - inspections completed

30 Inspections conducted

8 Inspections passed

13 Inspections failed

2 Failed - new shop inspections

4 Failed - late renewal inspections

0 Failed - complaint

4 Failed - per board inspections

3 Failed - routine inspections

2 Closed at time of inspection

5 Permanently Closed

0 Full Time Inspectors Currently on Staff (conducts inspections 5 days/week)

2 Per diem Inspectors Currently on Staff (conducts inspections 1 days/week)

Ms. Braxton reported that recruitment efforts continue to rebuild the inspection team, with the goal of restoring staffing levels during the upcoming fiscal year.

Public Comment

There was no public comment offered during the meeting.

Adjournment

Chairperson Mr. Franklin requested a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was made by Mr. Campbell, seconded by Mr. Trent, and unanimously approved.

The meeting adjourned at 11:17 Α.Μ.

APPROVED BY:_________

on August 10, 2026.