A Wilde Lake Village Board member is stepping down to become the special assistant to Howard County Councilman-elect Kenneth S. Ulman.

Ulman hired Jessica Feldmark on Monday. She told the board that night that her resignation will become effective by the end of the month.

"I will miss being part of the board, although I'm looking forward to staying involved with them and working with them on a lot of the same issues, but on a county level," Feldmark said yesterday.

Feldmark, 28, said it was necessary to resign to avoid any perceived conflict of interest that may arise while working at her new job, which will formally begin when Ulman takes office Dec. 2.

Feldmark, who moved to Columbia in 1998, is serving her second year on the village board. She previously worked as the training and special-projects manager for Volunteer Maryland, an AmeriCorps program.

Though Columbia's governing system - with 10 village boards and the Columbia Council and board of directors - can often be confusing, she said she got a "crash course in Columbia history and how the community works" from her husband, Joshua Feldmark. He is in his second term on the Columbia Council as the Wilde Lake representative and previously served on the village board.

The couple helped Ulman in his campaign to succeed Councilwoman Mary C. Lorsung in District 4.

Ulman said Feldmark's experience and knowledge of Columbia should help ease concerns of residents who are worried about losing Lorsung's role as an advocate for Columbia's older villages.

"I think folks in Wilde Lake and other neighborhoods should view her working with me as a tremendous benefit to them," he said.

Bernice Kish, the Wilde Lake village manager, said the village board will begin advertising the open position on the five-member board next month.

Kish said she hopes the board will interview candidates at its meeting Jan. 6 and pick a new member later that month.