Mayor Scott Announces Strategic Personnel Appointments to Strengthen Housing, Planning Departments
Tim Keane Nominated as Housing Commissioner; Ren Southard Nominated as Planning Director; Alice Kennedy to Serve as Executive Director of Community Affairs and Engagement
BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, February 18, 2026) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced his intention to nominate Timothy Keane as Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, Renata “Ren” Southard as Planning Director, and Alice Kennedy as Executive Director of Community Affairs and Engagement in the Mayor’s Office, effective March 2, 2026. The nominations of Keane and Southard come after a six-month search process that included both local and national candidates.
“Baltimore is becoming a pioneer in housing and community development, literally breaking new ground in our work to overcome a challenge that has plagued our city for generations: the vacants crisis,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Alongside our partners at the State and in our communities, we’ve positioned ourselves to be a national leader in this space, thanks in large part to the work of DHCD under Commissioner Kennedy’s leadership. As we accelerate that work and continue looking for innovative ways to drive Baltimore’s renaissance forward, I am grateful to have such dedicated housing, community development, and planning experts leading the way. Tim, Ren, and Alice have proven themselves to be creative and passionate public servants, who always keep the needs of our residents at the center of their work. I am beyond excited for them to continue bringing their experience and wisdom to this next chapter for housing and development in our city.”
In their new roles as Acting Commissioner and Acting Planning Director, Mayor Scott has directed Keane and Southard to conduct an extensive examination of the structure of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Department of Planning (DOP), to make recommendations about potential strategic changes that could maximize the City’s resources during the next phases of Baltimore’s major housing and development initiatives — including an assessment of a potential merger of the two agencies.
Keane, with the support of Southard, will lead a six-month comprehensive study, with a specific focus on identifying silos and inefficiencies at both agencies that could be addressed by reducing duplicative efforts and improving coordination across the permitting, planning, design, and community development fields. Keane and Southard both currently serve in senior roles in Baltimore City government. Keane was nominated and confirmed as Planning Director in 2025, while Southard has served in various DOP and DHCD roles since 2018.
Kennedy, whose planned departure from the Housing Commissioner role was announced in September 2025, has led DHCD since 2020. In more than a decade in senior positions within DHCD, Kennedy helped envision and operationalize some of the most pivotal housing policy decisions in modern Baltimore history. Beginning first as Deputy Commissioner for Homeownership and Housing Preservation and then as Housing Commissioner, Kennedy was an instrumental figure in numerous neighborhood development and homeownership initiatives, most notably including the 2021 Framework for Community Development and Reframe Baltimore, Baltimore’s vacants vision announced in 2023 alongside BUILD and the Greater Baltimore Committee. Both of these initiatives have resulted in the lowest number of vacants in Baltimore in more than two decades and have laid the foundation for renewed collaborative work on vacants, which now includes historic partnership with the State of Maryland through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative.
Throughout her time leading DHCD, Kennedy has proven herself as a housing policy expert and dedicated public servant, with a special ability to engage directly and connect with residents who most acutely felt the impact of DHCD’s work. Expanding on this connection to community will be a significant component of her work in the newly established role of Executive Director of Community Affairs and Engagement in the Mayor’s Office.
“Mayor Scott’s reimagining of the housing and planning departments will form a stronger, more coordinated approach to tackling the key issues driving the City and State’s shared vacancy reduction strategy,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “Tim’s leadership and experience make him uniquely suited to lead at this moment of transformation, with a clear understanding of how planning and housing must work together to deliver lasting, neighborhood-level impact.”
“The residents of Baltimore deserve a city government that can excel and fully deliver on its promise,” said Tim Keane. “Perhaps nowhere is this more important than in the areas of housing, development, permitting, planning and design. The place we share has much to do with our prosperity. It's exciting that Mayor Scott and his team are fully committed to action and I feel a deep sense of responsibility to make the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Planning the most effective in the United States.”
“I am extremely honored to support the bold vision of Mayor Scott and his administration by serving as the Acting Director of Planning,” said Ren Southard. “Throughout my career, I have worked to foster equitable development and positive, tangible outcomes for communities across Baltimore. Our city has incredible assets; I look forward to working alongside sister agencies to strengthen those assets by building Baltimore as a diverse, sustainable and thriving city of neighborhoods.”
“Serving as Commissioner of Housing and Community Development has been one of the greatest honors of my public service career, and I am deeply proud of the work we have done to develop Reframe Baltimore and reduce the number of vacant properties, expand housing opportunities, and strengthen communities across Baltimore,” said Alice Kennedy, Executive Director of Community Affairs and Engagement. “I look forward to supporting Director Keane in his new role and ensuring a strong transition for DHCD and the residents it serves. I am excited to step into the role of Executive Director of Community Affairs and Engagement in the Mayor’s office, where I will work closely with Mayor Scott to deepen meaningful engagement with communities across Baltimore.”
Full bios for Keane, Southard, and Kennedy are below.
Tim Keane
Keane is the current Planning Director of Baltimore City and a nationally recognized city planner. In his time at the Planning Department, he has established himself as a leader and partner for key stakeholders across the private and public sector, overseeing urban planning and design, land use and zoning, development, and capital budgeting, as well as the City’s sustainability, food policy, and historic preservation offices.
Keane has previously led the planning departments of four significant cities: Charleston, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Boise, Idaho; and Calgary, Canada. Leading these departments, Keane has been responsible for planning, housing, community development, and every other aspect of city development.
Keane also brings extensive housing policy experience to DHCD. He has guided major policy initiatives such as rezoning projects to expand affordable housing, city permitting operations, and implementing protections from displacement for low-income homeowners. Keane has also worked closely on reorganizing city agencies and departments: while serving as Planning Commissioner in Atlanta, Keane led a holistic reorganization of both the departments for planning and housing, and as the head of Planning, Permitting, & Engineering in Charleston, Keane oversaw the consolidation of multiple city departments and offices. These efforts both made their respective agencies more effective and service-oriented.
Keane holds both a Master of Science in Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts in Planning from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He also served as a Fellow at the University of Miami School of Architecture and on the adjunct faculty at the College of Charleston.
Renata “Ren” Southard
Ren Southard is an urban designer, planner and architect, licensed in Maryland. Ren joined Baltimore City in 2018, first with the Department of Planning, where she was the Urban Design Division Principal, before moving to DHCD in 2025. In her most recent role with Baltimore City’s Neighborhood Development Division, she led a team of planners, architects and engineers to provide community design services, technical assistance, and alignment with partners on investment strategies.
Before joining Baltimore City as a public servant, Southard spent more than a decade in the private sector working as a designer and project manager in Minneapolis, Detroit, Nashville, and Baltimore. She is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned her Master of Architecture and a Graduate Certificate in Urban Design. While at UMD, Southard was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Assistant award for her teaching work. She continues to teach and lecture regularly in the region and is engaged with the Schools of Architecture at University of Maryland and Morgan State University. Southard also serves on the board of AIA Maryland, the Maryland state component of the American Institute of Architects, and is the former chair of AIA Baltimore’s Urban Design Committee (UDC).
Per the Baltimore City Charter, Mayor Scott appointed Southard as Acting Planning Director on recommendation of the Planning Commission. Her appointment is subject to confirmation by the City Council.
Alice Kennedy
Alice Kennedy has been a pivotal force in planning and development, project management, operations, real estate, sustainability, and strategic planning in Baltimore City for over fifteen years. Kennedy was named acting commissioner in August 2020 and appointed permanent commissioner in September 2021.
As Commissioner, Kennedy emphasized transparency, customer service, community outreach, problem solving, and a holistic comprehensive approach to housing and community development. As a key partner in the Mayor's Vacancy Reduction Initiative, she spearheaded efforts to streamline property disposition, introduce a Fixed Pricing Program, and expand the acquisition of vacant properties through In Rem foreclosure. She actively worked to secure funding for communities through agency initiatives like the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF), Community Catalyst Grants, the Housing Accelerator Fund, which is aimed at addressing permanent supportive housing needs, and the innovative Affordable Housing TIF.
In 2016, Kennedy joined DHCD as the Deputy Commissioner for Homeownership and Housing Preservation. In this role, Kennedy championed innovative solutions to enhance resident services and coordinated best practices across multiple initiatives, including the City's Weatherization Program, Lead Hazard Reduction Program, Office of Rehabilitation Services, Office of Homeownership, and more.
Before joining the Department of Housing and Community Development, Kennedy was the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Baltimore. In this role, she led the creation of the City’s first Climate Action Plan and the Disaster Preparedness and Planning Project, the City’s first comprehensive plan to address climate adaptation and resiliency.
Kennedy holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Goucher College.
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