Before joining UBalt, Schmoke was dean of the Howard University School of Law (2003–2012), then served as general counsel and interim provost at Howard. As mayor, he launched programs in housing, education, public health, and economic development. He received the National Literacy Award from President George H.W. Bush in 1992, and in 1994, President Clinton selected Baltimore as one of six Empowerment Zones in recognition of its revitalization efforts. His public service dates back to the Carter Administration, where he served on the White House Domestic Policy Staff, and he also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Maryland.

After three mayoral terms, Schmoke returned to law practice as a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, engaged deeply with both the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association, chairing the ABA’s Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice, and provided pro bono legal services to community organizations. As dean at Howard Law, he worked to raise bar passage rates and expand clinical programs emphasizing environmental justice, fair housing, and civil rights.

Schmoke earned his B.A. in history from Yale University, where he co‑founded the Calvin Hill Day Care Center still in operation since 1970. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School.

He holds board positions with the Hippodrome Foundation, Baltimore City Community College, Baltimore Community Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Enoch Pratt Library.

He is married to Dr. Patricia Schmoke, an ophthalmologist, and they have two adult children, Gregory and Katherine.