Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced the appointment of Moyah Panda as the new Executive Director of the state-mandated Police Accountability Board (PAB). The Board’s next scheduled public meeting will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. Panda will begin in the role on April 13, and will serve as Acting Executive Director until confirmed by the County Council.
“Moyah has the ideal legal expertise and community involvement background for this role,” said County Executive Pittman. “I look forward to her leadership as we continue our efforts to improve policing and build trust.”
Panda is a seasoned attorney with significant experience handling jury and bench trials as well as dozens of cases before administrative charging bodies, and conducted numerous mediations and arbitrations. Over almost two decades, Panda expertly reviewed investigatory files and legal authorities, led roundtable discussions on complex legal cases, oversaw investigations, audited legal offices around the country, and managed legal teams with varying levels of expertise.
“The Police Accountability Board and the Administrative Charging Committee are an important tool in building public trust around police accountability,” said Moyah Panda. “I am eager to begin working with the dedicated members of the PAB and the ACC to ensure that they are both successful in their work. Equally important, I am prepared to meet with the various law enforcement agencies and community members here in Anne Arundel County, with a focus on communication and transparency.”
Panda previously served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, handling felony prosecution. Most recently, Moyah worked for the Law Offices of Christopher R. Costabile as a senior trial attorney, where she co-managed the Maryland legal office of thirteen attorneys. In that role, she handled complex civil litigation matters including traumatic brain injury and wrongful death cases.
Panda will take over for Janssen E. Evelyn who recently assumed a new role within the administration. During his time as Executive Director, Evelyn oversaw the seating and training of the Administrative Charging Committee, developed working relationships with law enforcement agencies and community advocates, worked with the PAB on a series of listening tours around the county, and managed the drafting and release of the PAB’s first annual report.
Outside of her legal career, Panda is active in her local community, focusing on mentoring the next generation of leaders. She serves as Treasurer of The Everett J. Waring - Juanita Jackson Mitchell Law Society, a member of the Peer Review Committee of the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland, a Member-at-Large of the Howard County Branch of the NAACP, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Iota Lambda Omega Chapter.
Moyah obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Florida.