On October 23, 2007, Katrina Bell McDonald was sworn in by Governor O’Malley to an appointed position on the Maryland Humanities Council.  The Maryland Humanities Council is a private, nonprofit Maryland corporation funded by the federal government, the Division of Historical and Cultural Programs of the Department of Planning and by foundations, corporations, and individuals.  The Governor appoints up to 6 of the Council’s 26 members.  The Council is the Maryland statewide programming arm of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which include archaeology, comparative religion, ethics, history, jurisprudence, literature, philosophy, and the history, criticism, and theory of the arts and related social sciences.