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Minutes February 2, 2026 -Maryland Board of Cosmetologists Meeting - Cosmetologists

Monday, February 2, 2026

A meeting of the State Board of Cosmetologists was held on Monday, February 2, 2026, at 10:00 A.M. via teleconference.

Board Member Attendees

  • Ms. Lisa Ennis, Chairperson
  • Ms. Rosalind Hosley, Cosmetologist Member Absent
  • Ms. April Kenney, Cosmetologist Member Absent
  • Ms. Kelly Canty, Consumer Member
  • Mr. Maurice Fains, Cosmetologist Member Absent
  • Ms. Katrina Lee, Esthetician Member
  • Ms. Kyra Jones, School 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
  • Ms. Peggy Dall'Acqua, Advice Counsel
  • Ms. Renee Robertson, Education Coordinator
  • Ms. Ashley Thompson, Reciprocity Coordinator

Agenda and Minutes

Quorum Announced, and Meeting Called to Order

A quorum was announced by Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis and the meeting was called to order at 10:13 AM.

Approval of Agenda

Before the approval of the agenda, Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher requested a motion to strike Item F. Inspection Summary from the agenda. Ms. Kelly Canty made a motion to amend the agenda by striking Item F. Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis then seconded the motion and it unanimously passed. Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis requested a motion for approval of the February 2, 2026 agenda as amended. Ms. Kelly Canty made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Ms. Kyra Jones, and the amended agenda was unanimously approved.

Approval of January 5, 2026, Minutes

Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis requested a motion to approve the minutes from the January 5, 2026 meeting. A motion was made by Ms. Kelly Canty to approve the previous Board meeting minutes which was seconded by Ms. Kyra Jones, and the motion unanimously passed.

New Business

A. RECAP OF JANUARY 5, 2026 MEETING

Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis provided a recap of January’s meeting. In January, the idea of adding eyelash extension demonstrations to the cosmetology and esthetics examinations was discussed by Board members. Ms. Peggy Dall’Acqua was introduced as the new Advice Counsel serving the Board of Cosmetologists, replacing Mr. Kenneth Sigman. There was one apprentice restart approved for Cameron Reid. Lastly, Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher provided updates for the Eyelash Extension and Esthetics regulations, both are expected to go final and be in place in early March 2026.

B. ESTHETICIAN SCOPE OF PRACTICE COMMITTEE VOTE

As a result of SB1044 the definition of esthetic services has been altered, and updated regulations are expected to go into effect soon. In response, Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher announced that the Board of Cosmetologists is seeking to put together a committee to comprise a list of permissible services that encapsulates the scope of practice for Limited Estheticians, and answer some frequently asked questions. Esthetician Member, Ms. Katrina Lee then nominated herself to be a part of the committee. Ms. Fletcher then requested a motion to appoint Ms. Lee to the committee. Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis made the motion, which was seconded by Ms. Kelly Canty. The Board voted unanimously in favor of appointing Ms. Katrina Lee to the committee. Ms. Fletcher then stated that the committee ideally would consist of at least two members, and she would follow up with Board members to field interest.

C. APPRENTICE RESTART

Apprenticeship Coordinator Jacob Guy began by introducing Ms. Gia Nguyen, formerly an Apprentice Limited Nail Technician from December 2024 - December 2025. Apprentice Limited Nail Technician licenses are not renewable and require approval from Board members for an individual to be granted the opportunity to restart. Ms. Nguyen had contacted the Board stating her interest in restarting the program, as no months of credit were reported during the original license timeframe. After introducing the applicant Mr. Guy asked Ms. Nguyen to explain to Board members why she was unable to complete training during her initial apprenticeship timeframe. Ms. Nguyen explained that she was an active student during her time as an apprentice and her school workload made it difficult to commit enough time to her apprenticeship training. Additionally, the sponsor for Ms. Nguyen had to travel back to her home country for an extended period due to a family matter. In response to a follow up question it was determined that Ms. Nguyen’s sponsor had still not returned to the country and for that reason could not join the call. With that Board members determined that it would be best to table the apprenticeship restart to a future meeting when the sponsor could be present for the call and the Board could hear a more structured plan to complete the apprenticeship. Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis then requested a motion to table the apprentice restart to a future meeting. Ms. Kelly Canty then made the motion, which was seconded by Ms. Katrina Lee. The motion unanimously passed.

Old Business

A. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

i. Eyelash/Esthetician Regulations Posted to Maryland Register - 12/26

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher offered an update on the announcement provided by Advice Counsel Mr. Kenneth Sigman at December’s meeting. Both the amendments to the Esthetic Services definition and the Eyelash Extension regulations were published December 26, 2025 in the Maryland Register for public consumption. The public comment period ended on January 26, 2026, and they both are expected to be approved and in place in March 2026.

ii. Legislative Session 2026 - Current Bills

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher stated that the Maryland General Assembly is currently in its legislative session, and there are a few bills worth mentioning that may not directly affect the Board of Cosmetologists, but the department as a whole. These bills include -

SB133: Continuing the State Board of Barbers, the State Board of Cosmetologists, the State Board for Professional Land Surveyors, the State Commission of Real Estate Appraisers, Appraisal Management Companies, and Home Inspectors, and the State Board of Individual Tax Preparers in accordance with the provisions of the Maryland Program Evaluation Act (sunset law) by extending to July 1, 2032, the termination provisions relating to the statutory and regulatory authority of the boards and commission; etc.

SB242: Authorizing active service members and spouses, under certain circumstances, to practice in the State under an occupational or professional license issued in another jurisdiction; and altering the definition of "eligible veteran" for purposes of certain provisions of law governing occupational or professional licensing processes to include former service members who have been discharged for more than 1 year before an application for a license, certificate, or registration is submitted.

SB150: Authorizing the Department of the Environment, the Department of General Services, and units in the Maryland Department of Labor to include a notation on public profiles of licensees, certificate holders, and security identification card holders indicating that the individual is a veteran.

SB301: Authorizing certain governmental entities to waive certain fees imposed by statute for veterans; and requiring certain governmental entities to adopt regulations before waiving certain fees imposed by statute for veterans.

HB131: Clarifying that refusal by a person to disclose information about criminal charges that have been expunged may not be the sole reason for a unit, an official, or an employee of the State or a political subdivision of the State to deny the person's application for a license, permit, registration, or governmental service; providing that refusal by a person to disclose information about criminal charges that have been expunged may not be the sole reason for an educational institution to expel or refuse to admit the person; etc.

HB179: Requiring the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a complaint portal for reporting when a governmental unit takes longer than 60 days to process an application for a license, form, certificate, certification, permit, or registration for a business or nonprofit organization; and requiring the Department, by September 15, 2026, and each September 15 thereafter, to submit an annual report to certain committees of the General Assembly on the complaints filed through the portal.

HB516: Requiring the Maryland Department of Labor to establish certain procedures for receiving, reviewing, and investigating certain complaints regarding matters under the jurisdiction of the Department; requiring the Department to employ one investigators for each of five regions of the State to investigate complaints; and requiring, beginning fiscal year 2027, the Governor to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $500,000 for the hiring of five investigators.

HB557: Providing that "department" does not include the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services for purposes of certain provisions prohibiting a department from refusing to issue an occupational license or certificate based on a certain conviction under certain circumstances; establishing a predetermination review process for occupational licenses and certificates in certain departments of State government; authorizing a department to charge a criminal history review fee of up to $100; etc.

SB243: Uniformed Services Spouses Act, no synopsis provided.

Ms. Fletcher concluded by stating that new bills continue to be introduced, and she will provide updates for those impacting the Board as they become available.

B. EYELASH TECHNICIAN EXAM AND LICENSING

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher announced that the Eyelash Technician exam and Test Taker Guide will be made available on February 26, 2026. Other exam content is slated to change and go live on that same date.

C. CREDENTIAL SERVICES - FOREIGN RECIPROCITY

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher began by reminding everyone of the initiative discussed during December’s Board meeting. Foreign reciprocity certifications can sometimes be difficult for the administrative team to verify. The Board voted in favor of requiring foreign applicants to submit certification of their foreign credentials to a company that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services before they are eligible to apply for examination. Requiring credential certifications from a NACES member would provide additional assurance of the validity and sufficiency of foreign credentials because NACES has rigorous membership standards. Updates regarding the process are to be posted to the Board of Cosmetologists website.

D. NEW PROCESS FOR CERTIFICATE SUBMISSION

Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher announced that as of January 16, 2026 certifications for continuing education credits taken through Milady are to be submitted to the Board’s administrative team via a portal available through the Board of Cosmetologists website. The process for Continuing Education credits taken through providers other than Milady remains unchanged, the provider will handle the process for the licensee. Once in the portal to submit a Milady certification, the prompts will ask for important identifying information, which includes: license registration number, first name, last name, and phone number. Next the training certification needs to be uploaded. The preferred attachment version is as a PDF. Ms. Fletcher added that it could be helpful to use the “Comments” section to include the name of the course taken. Lastly, Ms. Fletcher emphasized that this portal is not to be used for submission of Domestic Violence Awareness training certificates.

E. CURRICULUM APPROVAL

There were no approved curricula to announce for February's Board meeting. There is one curriculum currently under review.

Public Comment

Kiara Shields: Ms. Shields spoke at the February meeting to ask about any Board of Cosmetologist regulations regarding the practice of trichology, or if there could be anything in the works. Executive Director Ms. Nicole Fletcher replied that the Board does not currently govern that service and to her knowledge there is nothing being discussed.

Adjournment

Chairperson Ms. Lisa Ennis requested a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:49 A.M. Ms. Katrina Lee made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Ms. Kelly Canty, and then was unanimously approved.

APPROVED BY: ___________

on March 2, 2026.