MARYLAND WORKERS' COMPENSATION COMMISSIONState of Maryland

On March 13, 2023, Governor Wes Moore appointed Asha Joseph Jefferson to the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. Asha Jefferson is a graduate of Rutgers University and earned her Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School. Immediately after law school she served initially as a judicial clerk to The Honorable Toni E. Clarke and subsequently The Honorable Cathy H. Serrette, both of the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.

Commissioner Jefferson began her legal career as an advocate for clients of low and moderate income with civil legal issues involving predatory lending practices, Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act (PHIFA) violations, and other consumer protection issues. She continued as a public servant practicing as an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City in various capacities until she was hired as a trial attorney with Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance Company. She has spent her career litigating a broad range of complex cases in both civil and criminal matters.

Kathleen A. Evans was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr., in 2015. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland in 1979 and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore Law School in 1982.

Commissioner Evans served as a prosecutor in both Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County for 19 years. During her tenure as an Assistant State’s Attorney, Commissioner Evans prosecuted all major violent crime felonies occurring throughout Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County including homicides, armed robberies, attempted murders and serious assaults, and related firearms, weapons, and drug felonies. She served as the Assistant Division Chief of the Homicide and Narcotics Division in Prince George’s County, Chief of the District Court Division in Anne Arundel County, and Chief of the Narcotics Unit in Prince George’s County.

Commissioner Evans is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association, the Anne Arundel County Bar Association, and the Women’s Bar Association, to name a few. She actively participates in many business and civic organizations and has been the recipient of numerous federal, state and local level awards for her work as a prosecutor. Commissioner Evans has been a frequent speaker for over 20 years on criminal and law enforcement related matters.

James K. MacAlister was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission by Governor Wes Moore in February of 2025. Mr. MacAlister is a graduate of Frostburg State College and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law. After completing a one-year appellate clerkship with the Honorable William H. Adkins, II, he devoted the next four years to working for law firms that represented insurance companies and corporate clients.

Since 1990, he has represented plaintiffs injured by the negligence of others in state and Federal courts and injured workers at the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. During the 35 years devoted to representing the injured, he tried court/jury trials, arbitrated/mediated disputed claims, handled workers’ compensation hearings/appeals, and briefed/argued several appeals in Maryland’s appellate courts and in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

He was also a member of several bar associations, including the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ). During his twenty-five-year tenure at the MAJ, he engaged in legislative advocacy and authored several amicus briefs in support of - or in opposition to - efforts to reshape Maryland’s workers’ compensation law. Lastly, he has published several articles about personal injury and workers’ compensation issues and has presented at many continuing legal education seminars devoted to these topics, including the MCWEA’s annual workers’ compensation conference in Ocean City, Maryland.

We are thrilled to welcome Kenrick F. Roberts as the newest Commissioner at the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. A proud resident of Prince George’s County and originally from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commissioner Roberts brings a wealth of experience and dedication to serving Maryland’s workforce.

Before joining the Commission, he spent nearly a decade at Berman, Sobin, Gross, LLP, advocating for injured workers before the Commission and in Maryland’s appellate courts. His impressive career includes service as a judicial law clerk in Wicomico County, work in higher education, and recognition as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers since 2020. He has also earned distinctions such as National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and Top Attorneys in America.

Commissioner Roberts holds a Juris Doctor (cum laude) from UDC’s David A. Clarke School of Law, a Master of Science from Nova Southeastern University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Leo University.

James R. Forrester was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission in 2018 by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. He is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College and the University of Baltimore’s Merrick School of Business and School of Law. He earned a Master of Business Administration in 1995 and a Juris Doctor in 1998, with honors.

In 1999, he joined the Law Offices of Ileen M. Ticer as an Associate Claims Attorney. Thereafter, he joined Semmes Bowen & Semmes, P.C. in the firm's Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability Department, having been elected a Principal in 2009. Throughout his years in legal practice, Commissioner Forrester has concentrated in the area of workers’ compensation, appearing before all levels of the judiciary in the State of Maryland. He is also licensed and practiced in the District of Columbia.

He served as President and Member of the Executive Board of the Baltimore Claims Association as well as the Co-Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Maryland Defense Counsel. He also serves in a leadership role with several civic organizations.

On November 28, 2018 Governor Larry Hogan announced the appointment of Howard L. Metz to the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. Commissioner Metz graduated from the State University of New Jersey School of Law in 1985. He received his bachelor's degree from The American University in 1982.

Mr. Metz has over 30 years of experience in workers’ compensation and as a litigation attorney representing clients in trials before the Maryland Circuit and District Courts and U.S. District Court including courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He has briefed and argued cases before the Maryland Court of Appeals, Court of Special Appeals and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In addition to practicing before the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission, Mr. Metz has appeared before the Circuit Court for Washington County since 2008. He frequently lectures and is a continuing legal education instructor in the areas of Workers’ Compensation law and mediation practice.

Stephane P. Romano was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission by Governor Wes Moore in February 2025. Ms. Romano was born in Brazil to a Peruvian mother and a Brazilian father. She moved to the United States as a child and settled with her family in Montgomery County, Maryland. She graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Prior to and during law school, Commissioner Romano worked as a paralegal and law clerk and was eventually hired as an associate attorney at Antezana & Antezana, LLC. Fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese, she has worked to bridge language barriers, ensuring equitable access to justice for all individuals, particularly within the Latino and immigrant communities. She spent her career as an advocate for underserved populations, addressing the unique challenges they face in navigating the legal system.

Commissioner Romano has over 14 years of experience in Workers’ Compensation law, including nine years representing injured workers in Maryland and Virginia. Commissioner Romano is a member of the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association.

On November 28, 2018 Governor Larry Hogan announced the appointment of Allan H. Kittleman to the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. Commissioner Kittleman graduated with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law with a J.D. in 1988. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from [missing on the current site — please supply].

Subsequently, he became “of counsel” at Godwin, Erlandson, Vernon and Daney. Throughout his 25 years in legal practice, Commissioner Kittleman concentrated his practice in the defense of workers’ compensation claims in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Commissioner Kittleman also previously served on the Howard County Council (1998-2004), in the Maryland State Senate (2004-2014) and as the Howard County Executive (2014-2018).

Tracey Warren was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission in June 2016 by Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr. Immediately prior to this appointment, she served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Office of Administrative Hearings. She graduated cum laude from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Commissioner Warren subsequently clerked for The Honorable Arrie W. Davis (Ret.), Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, and through the US Attorney General’s Honors Program, she served as Attorney Advisor for the Department of Justice. She was also an attorney with the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

She is a member of the Board of Regents for Morgan State University and a member of the Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission. She is a member of the bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Delia Turano Schadt was appointed a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission in November 2011. A native of Cumberland, Maryland, she is a graduate of James Madison University, and she earned her Juris Doctor from The University of Dayton School of Law. She served as judicial clerk to The Honorable J. Frederick Sharer and The Honorable Gary G. Leasure in the Circuit Court for Allegany County.

Commissioner Schadt practiced workers’ compensation law as a trial attorney with the Injured Workers’ Insurance Fund, until she was appointed an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. She served as Board Counsel to several health occupation licensing boards with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene until her appointment to the Commission.

Commissioner Schadt is the Commissioners’ representative to the Maryland State Bar Association’s Negligence, Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation Section. She serves on the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards & Commissions’ (IAIABC) Medical Issues Committee and is a member of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary. She has lectured extensively on various workers’ compensation matters over the years.