Candidate Profile: Hank Boyd Runs For Howard County Council District 4

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Candidates in the Democratic and Republican parties will be competing on Tuesday in their respective primaries to see who will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Patch has asked each of the candidates running in select races to fill out a questionnaire, sharing facts about themselves and why voters should choose them to represent their party in November.

Let's start with your name.

Hank Boyd

What email should be used to contact your campaign?

hboyd31911@yahoo.com

Does your campaign have a website?

https://votehankboyd.com

What city or town do you live in?
Fulton

What office are you seeking?
Howard County Council - District 4

What is your party affiliation?
Democrat

Please share with us with your education.
Doctor of Jurisprudence (Intellectual Property) - University of Wisconsin Law School, UW-Madison; Doctor of Philosophy (Marketing) - Fuqua School of Business, Duke University; Master of Business Administration (Marketing) - Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley; Bachelor of Arts (Chemistry) - Princeton University

What is your occupation?
Clinical Professor of Marketing - 17 years

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.
Isabel (wife) & Giselle (daughter)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No one

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?
During my stint in Madison, I had the good fortune to serve as a commissioner for the Equal Opportunities Commission. I was appointed by Mayor Susan J. M. Bauman (the first women to be elected mayor) for a 3-year term and I was reappointed by Mayor Dave J. Cieslewicz. The purpose of the commission was “to study the existence, character, causes and extent of the denial of equal opportunity because of sex, race, religion, color, national origin or ancestry, age, disability… (Section 39.03(10) Madison General Ordinance).” In this advisory role, I reviewed cases on appeal from decisions issued by the EOC Hearing Examiner. On a more limited basis, I also reviewed appeals of administrative dismissals issued by the EOC Director on complaints filed under the statute. Based upon this experience, I gained a profound appreciation for the accountability a public servant holds toward the public.

How old will you be as of Election Day?
58 years of age

Why are you seeking this office?

In a nutshell, because my precious daughter was the target of a hate crime while at school. On November 3, 2021, she discovered the vilest word written on her locker. Some deranged person scrawled the N-word on the outside of her locker with the full intent to threaten and demean her.

My wife and I were aghast. How could this unspeakable act occur in Howard County where diversity is our watchword. Yes, we live in a robust and vibrant community, but the seeds of hate are sprouting due, in large part, to the 45th President of the United States.

In the wake of the incident, I decided it was time to act. I must do all I can to ensure that our schools remain safe and free from this toxic racism. As an educator with 30 years of experience, I want all students to thrive in a learning space where they are valued.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Education tops my list of priorities for Howard County. We can only reap the benefits of a knowledge-based economy if we have got a highly educated workforce. There is no question in my mind that education represents the great leveler in society. I have seen firsthand how my family was able to move from working class to the upper echelons of society through access to higher education. My start at Princeton, in large part, would not be possible if I didn’t have a solid grounding in advanced mathematics, AP Chemistry, AP Biology and AP English from Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, MD.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

At present, I am a marketing professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. I understand just how difficult it is to launch and run a successful business, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. Therefore, my thinking tends to be slightly left of center. I am keen on expanding opportunity for those who have been traditionally pushed to the margins. Yet, at the same time, I want to free business of any unnecessary encumbrances such as excessive taxes and heavy-handed regulations. We all do better when everyone is gainful employed and business owners are able to pursue their economic interests.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?
In my view, the incumbent could have done more in the area of affordable, moderate-income housing.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

By any livability metric, Howard County is a very desirable place to live. Moving forward, we require a balance growth approach to preserve our unique character. Yes, it is inevitable that more residential communities will be built spurred by consumer demand. To accomplish this feat, local adequate public facilities ordinances (APFO) must be met, namely infrastructure and schools.
Whenever I speak with builders and developers, they voice concern over untenable APFO mandates. Most notably, school overcapacity plagues large portions of Howard County. In my view, we simply cannot build physical structures to meet this student demand in the short term and be left with aging and unused infrastructure after this bulge works its way through the system. Instead, we have got to be more creative in how we use existing facilities.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a faculty member since 2005. I serve as a Clinical Professor of Marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. I also manage Ombudsman LLC, a diversified consultancy. I am licensed to practice law in Maryland, Wisconsin, and the U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin.

To date, I have taught UG, MBA, MS, and Executive courses. From 2010 to 2014, I served as Associate Chair of the Marketing Department. I am a proud recipient of the Allen J. Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence.

I hold a Ph.D. in Marketing from Duke (with an emphasis in Consumer Behavior) and a J.D. in Intellectual Property from Wisconsin. At the age of 24, I received my MBA in Marketing from Berkeley. Prior to graduate study, I earned my A.B. in Chemistry (with an emphasis in Biophysics) from Princeton.

My opinions have appeared in USA TODAY, The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Washington Business Journal, Wisconsin State Journal, Sports Illustrated, ESPN’s The Undefeated, Crain’s Chicago Business, Morning Consult and CNBC. I have participated in live interviews on Maryland Public Television, NBC News (local affiliate WMTV Channel 15 News), CBS News (local affiliate WISC-TV Channel 3 News), WTOP, WMAL, WIBA and Knowledge@Wharton.

During my academic career, I have had the privilege of teaching over 17,500 students the intricacies of marketing theory and practice. A brief listing of my former clients include the NFL, ExxonMobil, SAIC, Verizon, Stanley Black & Decker, and Ocean Tomo.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
I am reminded of the words Booker T. Washington - "one ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction."

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I grew up in a military family. Hence, I value structure and order. When it comes to public safety, there can be no compromise. Whether out on a stroll or visiting a park, one should be safe in their community. Certainly, our public schools must remain havens. Therefore, we must reconsider the role of School Resource Officer (SRO) officers.

By design, SROs should have a visible presence in schools to maintain law and order. In my view, SROs ought to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for those who want to learn. Most disturbing, there has been a marked increase in hate crimes impacting District 4. To quell this unrest, we need the physical presence of authority figures inside our schools.