EASTBALTCO.COM

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced the following major personnel appointments:

· Horacio Tablada, former secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), has been named Director of the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS), effective July 31. Mr. Tablada will succeed current Director David Lykens who will be retiring from Baltimore County government.

· Marcus L. Wang, Esq. has been named Director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development (DEWD), effective July 31.

Mr. Tablada will be the first Hispanic-American leader of a Baltimore County department.

Mr. Wang will be the first Asian-American leader of a Baltimore County department.

“Mr. Tablada’s experience in environmental leadership along with his demonstrated commitment to public health and ecological stewardship make him the right person to lead the department at this critical time,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.

“I look forward to our work together as we continue to tackle the effects of climate change and further strengthen environmental resiliency, keeping Baltimore County healthy and thriving for our future generations.”

Horacio Tablada most recently served as MDE Secretary under Governor Hogan and brings over three decades of experience as an environmental leader in Maryland, including spearheading the environmental redevelopment efforts at the former steel mill site in Sparrows Point.

A Nicaraguan native, Tablada has served in numerous environmental regulatory management positions in Maryland, including serving as director of the Department of the Environment’s Land Management Administration, overseeing brownfield redevelopment of former industrial sites, recycling and waste diversion, lead paint poisoning prevention, and more.

Mr. Tablada holds a bachelor’s degree in biological agricultural engineering from North Carolina State University, a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland, and earned a Master of Divinity from Capital Seminary and Graduate School.

“I want to thank County Executive Olszewski for his confidence in me to lead the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability,” said Tablada.

“I look forward to serving the people of Baltimore County and working with this talented team to promote science-based policies and implementing sustainable solutions.”

Mr. Lykens will be retiring from Baltimore County after over 35 years of service. He first joined Baltimore County government in 1987 — the year the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability was established — and worked his way through the ranks, starting as a pollution control analyst and culminating in his appointment as director in December 2018.

Under his leadership, the department has made considerable progress in promoting environmental sustainability, including launching Operation ReTree, an innovative equity-based tree planting initiative to expand tree canopies in older high-density, lower-income neighborhoods and joint efforts with the state of Maryland to address a decades-long problem to reduce the nuisance midge population along Back River.

“Dave has been an invaluable member of our team to help build a better Baltimore County,” Olszewski said.

“On behalf of the people of Baltimore County, I extend my gratitude for his decades of dedicated service and I wish him and his entire family the best in his well-deserved retirement from County service.”

“It has been an honor to serve the residents of Baltimore County for more than 30 years and I am incredibly proud of all our efforts to promote cleaner, more sustainable communities,” said Director Lykens.

“I thank County Executive Olszewski for this opportunity and have the fullest confidence that our hardworking team will continue to effectively serve our residents for years to come.”

Marcus Wang joins Baltimore County Government after most recently serving as CEO and Co-Founder of the Baltimore County-based ZytoGen Global Genetics Institute. He brings extensive international business and legal experience in building startups to profitability and in expanding public companies globally.

He has powered companies to success in diverse sectors ranging from biotech and genomics to retail and e-commerce, in both the U.S., where he practiced corporate law for DLA Piper in Manhattan, as well as China, where he spearheaded the development, execution, and launch of Under Armour’s China market entry.

Mr. Wang has also served as the Chair of the Baltimore County Economic Development Advisory Board since 2020, where he has advised the Olszewski administration on strategies for attraction and retention of businesses, best practices for public-private partnerships, and long-term economic development strategies. He also serves as a Commissioner on the Maryland Health Care Commission.

A Baltimore native, Mr. Wang earned an A.B. cum laude from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Dr. Jennifer Lynch, who has served as Acting Director of the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development, will return to her position as Baltimore County’s Senior Policy Advisor for Education and Workforce.

“Mr. Wang’s knowledge of the breadth of economic opportunities and assets that Baltimore County has to offer, coupled with our shared priority of attracting new businesses, developing strategic partnerships, and creating and retaining high-quality jobs for our residents, make him a natural fit for this position,” said Olszewski.

“I am confident that with his leadership and advocacy, we will continue building a better Baltimore County for our most important asset: our people.”

“I am honored to be called to public service and to join this great team,” said Marcus Wang. “I want to thank the County Executive for his leadership and his trust, and I pledge to always be a strong advocate for the residents, workers, and businesses of our great County.”

The nominations of Mr. Tablada and Mr. Wang will be subject to confirmation by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the County Council.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced the county has released a new data dashboard displaying information regarding recent Baltimore County Department of Health food facility inspections.

In acknowledgement of the growing number of residents who are immigrants and their substantial contributions to Baltimore County, County Executive Johnny Olszewski this week issued an executive order establishing a New Americans Task Force.

The new Task Force will guide County government as it seeks to build and maintain positive relationships with members of the immigrant community, and share research on policies, practices, and services that impact immigrant health, well-being, economic success and safety.

“Baltimore County’s greatest strength is its diversity, and we believe that all people – including those who are new to the country – should feel welcomed, included and valued,” said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. “This task force’s work will highlight our commitment to supporting the immigrant community and strengthen and coordinate efforts countywide to better assure the successful integration of our New American neighbors.”

The Task Force is charged with developing an integration and inclusion strategic plan that builds upon the strengths of immigrants, their families, and their institutions, and expedites their journey towards integration and inclusion. The plan will further efforts to make Baltimore County a place of welcome, economic opportunity, community well-being, and inclusion.

The diverse group, chaired by Helany Sinkler, Diversity Acquisition Program Manager at T. Rowe Price, includes stakeholders from nonprofit organizations, private partners, foundations, financial institutions and County agencies serving New Americans. Members include:

• Maricruz Abarca, Latino Providers Network
• Richard Amador, Healthcare Access Maryland
• Laura Brown, Asylee Women Enterprise
• Alejandra Balcazar, Towson University
• Susana Barrios, Latino Racial Justice Circle
• Matthew Bernardy, Community College of Baltimore County
• Ramona Carter-Brown, Baltimore County Human Relations
• Zainab Chaundry, Council on American-Islamic Relations
• Truphena M. Choti, AfriThrive
• Mary Clay, Baltimore County Department of Housing and Community Development
• Alejandra Flores Miller, Centro Sol, JHU School of Medicine
• Nidia Gentry, Baltimore County Department of Health
• Tasha Gresham James, Dundalk Renaissance
• Monica Guerrero Vazquez, Centro Sol
• Jennifer Hernandez, Baltimore County Public Schools
• Annette Karanja, Haki Zetu
• Cindy Kolade, CASA
• Rachele J. Lawton, Community College of Baltimore County
• Della Leister, Baltimore County Department of Health
• Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, Archdiocese of Baltimore
• Major Orlando Lilly, Baltimore County Police Department
• John Mason, Baltimore County Department of Economic Development
• Cassandra Miller, Baltimore County Public Library
• Abdun Nafey Matin, ICNA Relief
• Bella Owens, TurnAround, Inc.
• Laure Pepper Covert, World Relief
• Edwin Perez, Baltimore County Public Schools
• Mitch Posner, Community Assistance Network
• Javier Riva, Latino Economic Development Center
• Valerie Rivera, Esperanza Center
• Catalina Rodriguez-Lima, Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
• Nan Ross, International Rescue Committee
• Alfredo Santiago, Peace and Strength Counseling
• Cate H. Scenna, Esq., Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland
• Pat Shannon Jones, Immigration Outreach Service Center
• Helany Sinkler, T. Rowe Price (Chair)
• Tim Suryodaya Timsina, BANA
• Betty Symington, ERICA

During its tenure, the ask Force will organize focus groups in each councilmanic district; facilitate a community survey in the County’s five most commonly spoken languages; identify and analyze barriers facing immigrants and their efforts and make recommendations to address those barriers.

“New Americans are here to have a better life and while they are extremely resilient, they have barriers to accessing services many of us take for granted,” said Baltimore County Immigration Affairs Outreach Coordinator Giuliana Valencia-Banks. “The New Americans Task Force’s work will support the efforts of this administration to make Baltimore County a place of welcome, economic opportunity, and inclusion. We are taking a comprehensive, community-driven approach to New American inclusion.”

The first meeting of the Baltimore County New Americans Task Force will be held via WebEx on Monday, June 12 at 6 p.m. A schedule for future meetings will be available at the work group’s webpage.

The Baltimore County New Americans Task Force will submit a report to the County Executive and the County Council by March 31, 2024.

For questions or more information about the Baltimore County New Americans Task Force, please visit the work group’s webpage.