Born November 20, 1939, and raised in New York, Jo-Ann Orlinsky is the daughter of Henry J. and Celia (Schifrin) Mayer. Ms. Orlinsky attended high school in Suffern, NY, and obtained an A.B. degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1961. She became involved in politics while at college in Massachusetts, working on the 1958 congressional campaigns of John F. Kennedy and James MacGregor Burns.
She married Walter S. Orlinsky on June 18, 1961, and relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. Between 1961 and 1964, Jo-Ann Orlinsky was employed as secretary for the Nuclear Physics Research team at Johns Hopkins University, campaign secretary for U.S. House of Representatives candidate Carlton R. Sickles, and research assistant for the Baltimore Metropolitan Area Study Commission. She joined the U.S. Senate campaign of Joseph D. Tydings in 1964 as campaign headquarters director. Upon his election, she served as his special assistant until May 1970. Her primary responsibilities were keeping the senator abreast of Maryland political matters and informed on state, county, and local legislation in which he had a particular interest. In May 1970, Orlinsky became administrative assistant and scheduling chairman for Tydings' unsuccessful 1970 U.S. Senate reelection campaign.
Jo-Ann Orlinsky continued her involvement in politics as campaign manager and headquarters director for her husband's 1971 campaign for Baltimore City Council President. The following two years, she chaired the Worker Training Program for the Associated Jewish Charities. Then between March and August 1973, she served on the staff of the Democratic National Committee's Commission on Delegate Selection and Party Structure, known as the "Mikulski Commission." This commission was charged with providing technical assistance, recommendations, and requirements for opening the doors of party affairs to minorities, women, youth, and people of all economic classes; however, its primary objective was to elect a Democrat president in 1976. Since 1973, she has held various positions with Women Together, a coalition of thirty-three metropolitan Baltimore women's organizations, the Maryland Commission of Labor and Industry, and the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Advisory Board.
Among Jo-Ann Orlinsky's significant awards and honors are nomination to Who's Who of American Women (1977-1979) and to International Who's Who in Community Service in 1979. In 1980, she was named Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women's Club of Baltimore. Ms. Orlinsky also served as a volunteer for numerous local, state, and national women and children's advocacy groups, political organizations, and Jewish Charities and associations (see Appendix A for list.) She and her former husband, Walter S. Orlinksy, were married for twenty-five years and have two children, Eric and Judith.
- Advisory Board, YWCA of Central Maryland, 1988-
- Advisory Board, Maryland New Directions, 1988-
- Advisory Board, Baltimore Birth Center, 1981-
- Secretary-Treasurer, St. James Condominium Council, 1994-
- Board Member, Baltimore Jewish Community Relations Council, 1981-
- National Board Member, American Jewish Congress, 1982-
- Chairwoman, Governor's Advisory Board on Rape and Sexual Offenses, 1982-1984
- Maryland Commission for Women, 1974-1981, Chairwoman, 1979-1981
- National Board Member, Women's Equity Action League (WEAL), 1981-1988
- Board Member, Sinai Hospital, 1967-1989
- Founding Member, Executive Women's Council, Greater Baltimore, 1978-1988
- Board Member, Maryland Committee for Children, 1981-1987
- President, Maryland Chapter, American Jewish Congress, 1985-1987
- Member, Task Force on the Jewish Family, Associated Jewish Charities, 1986-1988
- Chair, Jewish Women's Caucus, 1983-1988, Member 1979-
- Advisory Board, Ad Hoc Women's Housing Coalition, 1980-1983
- Advisory Board, Child Study Association of Maryland, 1978-1981
- Board Member, Comprehensive Housing for the Aged, Inc. (CHAI), 1978-1983
- Member, Committee on Services to the Aging, Associated Jewish Charities, 1980-1985
- First Chairperson of Women Together, 1973-1975, (a coalition of thirty-three Baltimore metropolitan area women's organizations representing 20,000 women)
- Advisory Council, New Directions for Women, 1976-1981
- Member, Mayor's Council for the Coordination of Child Care Services, 1976-1978
- Finance Advisory Committee, Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, 1978-1979
- Leadership Council, YWCA, 1977-1979
- Legislative Chairman, Federation of Jewish Women's Organizations, 1974-1976, 1978-1979
- Board Member, Metro Centre Unit, American Cancer Society, 1978-1980
- Member, Advisory Board, Johns Hopkins University, Fellowship in Organizational and Community Systems, 1975-1977
- Chair, Committee to Revise the Rules and Regulations of the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association, Maryland State Department of Education, 1975
- Public Representative, Committee to Implement Title IX, Maryland State Department of Education, 1974, 1977; Community Representative, Committee to Implement Title IX, Baltimore City School System, 1975-1976
- Board Member, former Vice President for Education, Women's Division, Associated Jewish Charities , 1973-1977
- Conference Arrangements Chairperson, International Women's Year Coordinating Committee, 1976
- Board Member, National Council of Jewish Women, 1972-1974
- President, Mt. Holyoke Alumnae Association of Maryland, 1973-1976
- Board Member, Maryland Ballet Company, 1965-1976
- Executive Secretary, Maryland Young Democratic Clubs, 1962-1967
- Woman of the Year, 1980, Business and Professional Women's Club of Baltimore
- International Who's Who in Community Service, 1979
- Who's Who of American Women, 1977-1978, 1978-1979
- Elected Maryland Delegate to National Women's Conference, Houston Texas, November, 1977
- American Jewish Congress Woman of the Year, 1975
- Mt. Holyoke College First Alumnae Volunteer Achievement Award, 1975
From the guide to the Jo-Ann Orlinsky papers, 1953-1976, 1964-1971, (State of Maryland and Historical Collections)
