Maryland Legal Services Corp. to continue expanding legal access under new leadership

The Maryland Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) is continuing to expand access to effective civil legal assistance to low-income Maryland residents and will do so under new leadership.

On Tuesday MLSC announced that Michelle Daugherty Siri would be its new executive director starting Oct. 30. She is currently the executive director for the Women’s Law Center of Maryland,  where she’s served for nearly nine years. Her last day with the WLC will be Oct. 27.

Siri said she is “immensely proud” of the WLC’s growth as an organization, the expansion of its advocacy portfolio, as well as the dedication of the team. Having been a grantee via the Maryland Legal Services Corporation herself, Siri wants to bring her unique perspective to ensure the access to justice crisis Maryland is facing is addressed, she said.

Siri said she grew up straddling two different worlds, with her mother growing up in Iran and her father growing up in Ohio, prompting her to recognize the fragility of rights, particularly as a woman.

“For me, that fight for women’s rights and equality and justice as a whole has always been a real, fundamental part of who I am,” Siri said. “That’s what got me into gender justice.”

Deb Seltzer, current executive director of the MLSC, said there will be one week of overlap between herself and Siri in the executive director role. Seltzer, who is relocating out of state, said she is confident in Siri’s ability to lead the, given her prior experience with the organization and its’ process and system.

“I am thrilled that Michelle will be taking the helm at MLSC,” said Seltzer. “Having worked with her as the leader of an MLSC grantee, I am confident that her experience and passion for access to justice will allow her to succeed in the executive director position.”

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Source: The Daily Record