Maryland policy expert Elisabeth Sachs to serve as director of transition

Baltimore County Executive-elect John “Johnny O” Olszewski, Jr. today announced region leaders Calvin Butler and Rachel Garbow Monroe will serve as co-chairs of his administration’s transition team.

“Building a better Baltimore County means bringing together the best and brightest to identify new ways of looking at familiar problems, and to develop innovative solutions,” said County Executive-elect Olszewski. “Calvin Butler and Rachel Monroe are two of the Baltimore region’s most dynamic and effective executives, and I am grateful to them for providing their vision, expertise and energy to leading an open and inclusive transition process.”

Calvin G. Butler, Jr. is the chief executive officer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), the nation’s first gas utility. He is a member of BGE’s Board of Directors and the executive committee of BGE’s parent company, Exelon. Prior to becoming CEO in March 2014, Butler was BGE’s senior vice president, regulatory and external affairs.

Butler serves on the boards of several prominent Baltimore-area organizations including the Baltimore Community Foundation, University of Maryland Medical Center, Greater Baltimore Committee, and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. In addition, Butler serves on the board of the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit organization focused on advancing scholarship, promoting access to education, and building economies; and the Library of Congress’ James Madison Council.

In 2017, he was named among Black Enterprise Magazine’s “300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America,” and “Industrialist of the Year” by the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The Daily Record named Butler one of Maryland’s “Most Admired CEOs” and one of its top 35 Influential Marylanders.

"Johnny Olszewski is looking to bring a culture of innovation to Baltimore County and I am honored to help lead this transition to ensure Baltimore County’s competitiveness and vitality in the 21st-century,” said Calvin Butler. “I’m honored to have this opportunity and look forward to helping Johnny build a better Baltimore County.”

Rachel Garbow Monroe is the president and CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, with roughly $2.6 billion in assets, which is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of vulnerable people and families experiencing poverty. In 2019 the Foundation will provide approximately $125 million in grants to nonprofits that provide direct services in the areas of Housing, Health, Jobs, and Education. The Foundation’s priority communities include Baltimore, Chicago, Hawaii, Israel, New York City, Northeastern Pennsylvania, and San Francisco. For the past several years, the Foundation has given approximately $20 to $25 million each year in grants to nonprofit in the greater Baltimore region. Monroe began her tenure as President and CEO in 2010 after serving as the first chief operating officer since 2005.

Previous professional roles for Monroe include serving as the chief operating officer for The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore; the worldwide director of marketing for the international architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago; and marketing manager for the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago. Currently, Monroe volunteers at Northwestern University (she received her B.A. from Northwestern and her M.M (MBA) from its J.L. Kellogg School of Management), and serves on the board of the Center Club in Baltimore. She also holds ex-officio positions with Leading Edge—an unprecedented partnership of Jewish foundations and organizations whose goal is to build a robust talent pipeline for Jewish organizations—and Baltimore’s Promise, a citywide collaborative composed of public, business, higher education, nonprofit, community, and philanthropic leaders. Previously, Monroe served on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Ronald McDonald House of Maryland.

In 2016, Monroe was honored as SmartCEO Magazine’s “CEO of the Year.” In 2012, she was named to the Forward 50, the news magazine’s list of the 50 Jewish-Americans “who have made a significant impact on the Jewish story.” Previously, she was recognized by The Daily Record as an Influential Marylander (2010), and as a three-time recipient of Maryland’s Top 100 Women (2011, 2009, and 2007), placing her in the “Circle of Excellence.” In 2006, the Baltimore Business Journal named Monroe to its “40 Under 40” list.

“Johnny's commitment to representing all residents of Baltimore County, coupled with his commitment to a more regional platform of leveraging opportunities for Baltimore County and City to work more effectively together is exciting,” said Rachel Garbow Monroe. “I am thrilled to partner with Calvin Butler to lead this transition team, and to work with Johnny and his strong professional team to expand opportunities for everyone throughout each and every neighborhood in Baltimore.”

Officials today announced that the transition will include seven workgroups:

• Education;
• Public Safety; Job Creation and Economic Development;
• Sustainability, Transportation and Infrastructure;
• Health and Human Services;
• Government Reform and Innovation; and
• Diversity, Inclusion and Quality of Life.

The transition team will announce chairs for each work group in the coming days. Each workgroup will submit an initial report to the co-chairs by December 3 and a final report by January 7.

Community members can submit ideas for the transition to ideas@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Individuals interested in applying for a position in the Olszewski administration should submit a cover letter and resume via email to: transitionjobs@baltimorecountymd.gov.

"We are committed to supporting Johnny's vision for an open, transparent transition process," said Baltimore County Executive Don Mohler. "Our team stands ready to keep residents informed and engaged during this change in leadership.”

Olszewski today also announced that Elisabeth Sachs will serve as director of the transition and Sam O’Neil will serve as senior advisor to the transition.

Sachs is currently Managing Partner of Long Point Strategies, LLC, a public policy consulting firm. She previously served as Executive Director of the Job Opportunities Task Force, Program Director of EARN Maryland, Interim Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, Director of Policy and Planning at the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, and as an Assistant Attorney General. She earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. from Haverford College.

O’Neil is currently Vice President of Margrave Strategies, an economic development consulting firm that implements strategies on behalf of anchor institutions, including the University of Maryland, College Park, Towson University, Bowie State University and Salisbury University. She previously served as Special Assistant to Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and Director of Outreach and Community Partnerships at the Howard County Health Department under Dr. Peter Beilenson. She earned her Master’s in public communication from American University and B.S. in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University.