GOV.-ELECT HOGAN NAMES DOUG DUNCAN, 19 MORE MEMBERS TO TRANSITION TEAM

Maryland Governor-elect Larry Hogan expanded his transition team by 20 yesterday, again drawing from a diverse, bipartisan group of Maryland residents. Notable among them were several Montgomery County residents, including one of the county's most prominent political figures, former County Executive Doug Duncan.

His personnel review team now includes Montgomery County resident Katja Bullock, former Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and a highly-regarded and longtime elected official with the Montgomery County Republican Party; Ande Fulton Rhodes, Personnel Director for Anne Arundel County and former Personnel Director for the State of Maryland; and Diane Baker, former Deputy Appointments Secretary for the State of Maryland.

Named to his business regulation review board were Jim Soltesz, President and CEO of Soltesz, Inc., a Maryland-based engineering and design firm; Ed Dunn, CEO of American Mechanical Services; and Abba Poliakoff, attorney at the firm Gordon Feinblatt, LLC.

Hogan also created a Transition Advisory Board, which includes 3-time Montgomery County Executive and Rockville Mayor Doug Duncan (D); Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey, diplomat and former candidate for Governor of Maryland; Jimmy Rhee, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade in the Commonwealth of Virginia; Helen Bentley, former U.S. Congresswoman; Joe Bartenfelder, former Delegate and member of the Baltimore County Council; Doug DeLeaver, Director of Community Relations for the Maryland State Police; David Craig, Harford County Executive (R); Kelly Schulz, Delegate (R-Frederick); Montgomery County resident Sam Malhotra, Founder and CEO of Subsystems, an IT services company based in Rosslyn, Virginia;  Steve Hershey, State Senator (R-District 36); former Lieutenant Governor candidate, Del. Jeannie Haddaway (R-District 37-B); Chris Shank, State Senator (R-District 2); Dr. Juliette Bell, President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and Luis Borunda, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Maryland Hispanic Business Conference & President, and CEO of U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education.

Doug Duncan

Selecting the pro-business Duncan, as well as prominent businessmen like Soltesz and Malhotra, suggests Hogan is strongly focused on the challenge of improving the state's moribund business climate. Given that Democrats are in the majority, the inclusion of Duncan will likely give Hogan an advantage in outreach, particularly in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, where Duncan has been very active in the business community since leaving office.