Veteran community development expert succeeds Odette Ramos to lead the state’s preeminent community development organization

Claudia Wilson Randall will become the next executive director of the Community Development Network of Maryland (CDN) on September 1st, the organization’s board of directors announced today. Randall has more than two decades of experience in community development, housing and nonprofit leadership in Maryland, at both the local and state level.

Randall has worked with CDN since 2018, first as a consultant and then as associate director, playing a key role in all aspects of the organization’s activities.

“Claudia is an outstanding choice to lead CDN, and the board is confident she will sustain our great work across the state helping to create thriving communities for all,” said Glenn Irwin, president of the CDN board. “Claudia has played a major role in our success the past two years and we are well positioned to sustain and expand community development across Maryland.”

Randall succeeds Odette Ramos, who has been executive director for almost eight years. Ramos won the Democratic Nomination for Baltimore City Council in June and is stepping down to devote her time to that effort.

“Odette Ramos has done an amazing job expanding our visibility around the state,” Irwin said. “During the General Assembly each year, she has been a trusted voice on a range of issues related to community development, allowing CDN to help shape both budgets and policy to support community groups.”

Before coming to CDN as a consultant, Randall served as director of housing counseling and operations at the Southeast Community Development Corporation in Baltimore from 2013 to 2018. For four years before that, she was a program officer in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. She has also held positions at the Maryland Center for Community Development and the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

“The Community Development Network is a vital force supporting dozens of organizations working tirelessly around the state to strengthen communities and create new opportunities for people to build strong lives,” Randall said. “I am proud and honored to be entrusted to carry on this organization’s rich legacy.”

The mission of the Community Development Network of Maryland is to promote, strengthen, and advocate for the community development sector throughout Maryland’s urban, suburban, and rural communities. The organization is a leading voice on policy issues at the state level and sponsors an annual Maryland Community Development Week to showcase important local organizations’ activities. Find out more on www.communitydevelopmentmd.org.