Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced today that Matt Power will be the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for land use. Mr. Power is a former deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning (2007) in the O’Malley administration with a broad background with smart growth policy and coordination of government agencies.
“Matt Power understands the land use challenges we face in our county,” said County Executive Pittman. “We are fortunate to have attracted a person for this position who knows the potential and the limits of government engagement in questions of both development and preservation.”
Mr. Power has held several senior roles in state government. He was the director of StateStat under Governor Martin O’Malley, where he led the BayStat and ClimateStat initiatives to align the work of multiple state agencies to achieve a cleaner Chesapeake Bay and to fight the effects of climate change. Prior to that he served as the deputy secretary at the Maryland Department of Planning. In that capacity he helped lead the state’s smart growth efforts to better coordinate land use, transportation, and infrastructure planning and investment. Most recently, Mr. Power has served as vice president for government affairs at the Maryland Independent College and University Association.
“I am thrilled to join the Pittman Administration and work to help Anne Arundel County achieve smart, sustainable growth,” said Mr. Power. “County Executive Pittman has demonstrated to county residents that he is committed to responsible land use and strong communities and I am excited to soon be a part of this team.”
Mr. Power fills the second deputy chief administrative officer position created in the fiscal year 2020 budget. Kai Boggess-de Bruin, PhD is the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for health and human services and started in August of this year.
County Executive Pittman also filled the ArundelStat manager position created in the FY20 budget. ArundelStat will use a performance framework to strategically monitor, assess, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of county services. Elizabeth Funsch started as the ArundelStat manager on October 18. Before accepting the position with Anne Arundel County, she worked as a senior analyst for the CountyStat team in Prince George’s County. In that position, she headed up the Health and Human Services departments, working closely with the individual agencies to review and update performance measures to work towards a more efficient and productive government.
With the hiring of these new positions, County Executive Pittman’s senior leadership team is now complete.
“I can genuinely say that our administration has attracted some of the top talent in the region to deliver a level of service to our residents that not only will restore trust in government, but also make our county the best place – for all,” said County Executive Pittman.
