OUR WAATER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Anne Arundel County Executive
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Equal Opportunity and Human Relations Officer
Asha Smith is an attorney and human resources professional, with a wealth of compliance experience in federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity and disability laws. Her experience includes developing and implementing policy, investigating and resolving internal complaints, facilitating staff training, and providing advice to senior personnel. Most recently, Ms. Smith was the Senior Manager of EEO and ADA Compliance at Anne Arundel County Public Schools, where she managed discrimination and harassment concerns, reasonable accommodations, and medical leaves such as FMLA, for more than 10,000 employees. She led the school system's COVID-related leave and accommodation efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Smith started her legal career as a Staff Attorney in the law enforcement bureau of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She investigated and resolved alleged violations of the city's anti-discrimination statute in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Ms. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Cornell University. She received her law degree from New York University School of Law. She is a proud native New Yorker, and resides in the Annapolis area.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Policy for the County Executive
- Senior Policy Advisor to the County Executive / Budget Officer
Chris Trumbauer leads communications and policy for the county executive's office. He is a former two-term Anne Arundel county councilmember, representing District 6 (Greater Annapolis). Over the course of his career, Chris has held senior positions in government, the nonprofit arena and the private sector. He was a vice president at a local communications firm and before that was the executive director of a county nonprofit environmental organization. He began his career as a biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. During his time as a county councilmember, he served on Maryland's Critical Area Commission and was a member of the Maryland Association of Counties legislative committee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
Christine Anderson is a seasoned veteran of local and state government posts. Before serving as Chief Administrative Officer, she led the Office of Central Services where she managed county facilities, fleet, procurement, and other essential functions of county operations. As Director, she oversaw more than 2,200 county buildings and properties, procurements totaling in excess of $425 million annually, maintenance of all county equipment and vehicles, and has been implementing the county's electric vehicle program. Prior to joining the county, Ms. Anderson worked for the Maryland Department of Transportation in finance and administrative functions and for the Maryland General Assembly.
Elizabeth Funsch is the Director of ArundelStat, the performance and analytics team for the county. ArundelStat will use a performance framework to strategically monitor, assess, and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of County services. ArundelStat will also serve as an internal consultant to assist in specific and longer term strategic projects.
Elizabeth most recently worked as a senior analyst for the CountyStat team in Prince George's County where she oversaw the process for monitoring and shaping the government to be more efficient and productive. Working closely with the health and human services departments, she coordinated efforts to develop, revise, and review performance measures and conducted trends analyses.
Elizabeth has over a decade of experience in evaluating programs at the State of Maryland Department of Mental Health and Hygiene and the Pima Prevention Partnership in Arizona. Her focus in these roles was implementing processes that demonstrated performance and assessed outcomes. She also understands the challenges and rewards of working on the front line as a public benefit coordinator in the Washington DC region as well as serving as a health volunteer in rural Ecuador in the US Peace Corps. Elizabeth holds a Master of Public Health and Master of Arts from the University of Arizona.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research and Special Initiatives
James Kitchin grew up in Crofton and enjoyed much of his formative years crabbing and fishing at his grandparent's house on the South River. He and Lauren are raising their family in Crofton where their two children, Isabela and Morgan, attend Crofton Woods Elementary. After graduating from Arundel High School, James earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University. For the first couple of years after graduation he worked for international non-profits in China and Mexico. He then transitioned to the education world and spent five years as a high school history and government teacher. James has an M.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Political Science and Education. Before joining the Pittman Administration James worked at the University of Maryland Baltimore County as a Research Assistant in the School of Public Policy where he is also finishing up a Doctoral Degree in Public Policy. His studies there focus on local governments, specifically education and immigration policy. James is an active part of his community. He has coached soccer, teaches Sunday school, is a member of the PTA at his kids' school, and has advocated for more responsible development practices to be implemented in the county. James was a candidate for the County Council seat in District 7 during the 2018 election.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Officer
- Deputy Chief
Janssen Evelyn is an experienced government administration professional and licensed Maryland attorney with over a decade of experience in local government roles. Prior to his promotion to Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, he worked with County Executive Pittman's administration as the inaugural Executive Director of Anne Arundel County's state-mandated Police Accountability Board.
Most recently, Janssen worked as Of Counsel at Baker Donelson. Prior to his role with Baker Donelson, he served as Assistant Chief Administrative Officer (ACAO) for Howard County, where he assisted the CAO in managing the daily operations, direction, and performance of Howard County government. He also provided administrative oversight over several County offices, on a wide range of projects and policy priorities, as well as working on the County's internal handling of the COVID-19 response, labor relations and collective bargaining, and serving as a trustee on the Retirement Plan Committee and as the Personnel Officer designee. Prior to his appointment as ACAO, Janssen also worked in Howard County's Office of Law as an Assistant County Solicitor where he advised and represented various county departments and offices, including human resources, public safety, and public works on issues related to personnel matters, collective bargaining, and government operations.
Janssen also worked as an Associate County Attorney in the Prince George's County Office of Law, Government Operations Division, where he provided advice and counsel to various departmental leadership on a range of governmental operations issues and represented county agencies and departments before administrative bodies, including the County personnel board, the Zoning Hearing Examiner, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and prosecuted public safety trial boards.
Janssen holds a J.D. from Washington and Lee School of Law and a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Saint Mary's College of Maryland. Janssen serves as the Vice-Chair of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, Secretary of the Howard County Conservancy, and is the 2nd Vice President of the Howard County Branch of the NAACP.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Staff
- County Executive
Jeff Amoros joined County Executive Pittman's administration after working in a variety of roles in Baltimore City government. Prior to coming to Anne Arundel County, he served as the Senior Director of External Affairs for the Baltimore City Health Department, and managed the Baltimore City Joint Information Center from its activation in March, 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic response. Jeff has also worked in the Baltimore City Mayor's Office and with the City Council, and on state and local political campaigns.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Officer
- Deputy Chief
Jennifer has served on County Executive Pittman's leadership team since he took office in 2018. She managed priority projects during her tenure as Director of Special Projects and Chief of Staff, spearheading a two-year strategic planning process, the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Joint Commission on the Opportunity Gap, Community Support Grants, Police Accountability Board selection and training, Inter-Agency Task Force reporting, and youth programs among others. She was the go-to person for initiatives that didn't fall within the purview of other staff or needed leadership and coordination before full-time staff were hired.
As DCAO, Jennifer draws on her collaborative relationships with department/agency directors and community leaders, as well as her past academic experiences, to ensure the evidenced-based practices employed throughout our agencies receive the support they need to meet the needs of residents. She is responsible for implementing several health and human services projects, such as the Family Support Centers and the 41 Community Place non-profit incubator, that County Executive Pittman initiated in his first term.
Dr. Purcell holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of South Florida and has almost 30 years experience in project management and evaluation, grant writing, communications, and program development crossing education, nonprofit and government sectors. Prior to moving to Maryland, Jennifer was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Social Medicine, Einstein College of Medicine, in the Bronx, New York.
Prior to her promotion to Deputy Chief of Staff, Jenny Proebstle joined the Pittman administration in 2019 and has served in a variety of roles on the County Executive's communications and policy teams. Ms. Proebstle served as the lead digital content creator for the administration, and worked closely with county departments to coordinate events and community engagement efforts. She played a key role in the county's public outreach and rapid response efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Job Titles:
- Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ( EDI )
Pete Hill, a Glen Burnie resident, serves as Anne Arundel County's first Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). In this role, he is working on a county-wide EDI strategy that will be the roadmap for department and government-wide equity action plan implementation. As Director of EDI, he serves as the county's LGBTQ+ liaison and works with community members to help ensure that our county is The Best Place - For All.
Prior to joining the County Executive's Office, Pete served as Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management Director for the National Weather Service, developing and deploying diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity training programs for more than 4,000 employees. He has also held diversity data and equal opportunity roles with the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Homeland Security, and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for 21 years prior to his career in federal government.
Peter Baron - Chief Strategy Officer
Peter Baron, Esq., brings nearly 20 years of experience in Maryland local and state government and politics. He is a former legislative director for both the Maryland Hospital Association and the Service Employees International Union, Maryland and DC State Council. He also served as Director of Member Services for Speaker Mike Busch.
Job Titles:
- Purchasing, Bids, Central, Services, Contracts, Contractors, Commodity, Service
Quiet Waters Park is situated between the South River and Harness Creek. Visitors can enjoy trails, playground, or picnic among 340 acres of beautiful park land.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Renesha Alphonso has a rich history in Communications, Education, Technical Writing and Project Management in the non-profit and government sector. With an undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Masters in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Georgetown University, Renesha has found her niche in Branding and Digital Identity Management. Prior to her career in communications, she has served as an Elementary teacher and has dedicated her entire career to supporting student academic success, working with community-based organizations to support human rights advocacy efforts, and organizing support events in the District of Columbia Ward 8 community.
Job Titles:
- Anne Arundel County Executive
- County Executive / County Executive / Executive Staff
Restore trust in government, create economic opportunity for all, implement smart growth policies, and promote health and wellness. These are the principles that guide us as we govern and work to make Anne Arundel County The Best Place - For All.
Steuart Pittman, Jr. was elected Anne Arundel County Executive after his first campaign for public office in 2018.
Born and raised on his family farm in Davidsonville, Steuart graduated from the University of Chicago and then went on to work as a community organizer in Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa. In that role, he built neighborhood organizations, confronted environmental hazards, and attracted private investment to blighted communities.
Once back home, Steuart coordinated national programs for National Low Income Housing Coalition and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before starting his own business as a farmer and horse trainer. He is best known in the horse industry for creating Retired Racehorse Project, an award-winning national nonprofit that is responsible for transitioning thousands of racehorses into second careers.
Steuart's philosophy of government is both conservative and progressive. As a farmer, he worked hard against onerous regulations that had no public benefit and promoted policies to make the industry commercially viable. As a Director of the Anne Arundel County Soil Conservation District, he pushed for compliance with erosion and sediment control standards to protect local waterways.
As County Executive, Steuart has pledged to make Anne Arundel County "The Best Place - For All," by "Putting Communities First." His strategy is to engage communities from every sector and to practice transparency and data-driven policymaking.
Vincent Moulden is a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County who grew up in Severn but later moved to Annapolis and graduated from Annapolis Senior High School. Vincent first joined the County Executive's Office in March 2020 as a Community Engagement Officer after spending over a decade working with non-profit associations developing innovative engagement campaigns. As the Community Engagement Officer for Annapolis and South County, Vincent focused on building connections in the community and directing residents to county resources. A year later, he was promoted to Assistant Director of Community Engagement & Constituent Services. This position enabled Vincent to take a leadership role in the office and focus on county-wide strategic engagement efforts such as the annual budget town halls, award ceremonies, regional summits, and other initiatives. During this time, Vincent also played an integral role in expanding digital engagement efforts and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders.
Vincent now leads the Office of Community Engagement & Constituent Services. He guides a team dedicated to helping Anne Arundel County Government be responsive and accessible to all residents. As the Director, Vincent works closely with county leadership to ensure the public's perspective is at the forefront of the decision-making process, the community stays informed on the County Executive's initiatives, and resident concerns are addressed promptly.