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ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 30, 2024—The Montgomery County Council will appoint Deputy Director Craig Howard as its new executive director responsible for leading the 100-person staff that provides fiscal and policy analysis of the $7.1 billion county operating budget, $5.9 billion capital spending program, and day-to-day oversight of all Council operations. The Council expects to vote on Howard’s appointment resolution at its next meeting on Nov. 12, 2024.
“Craig Howard will be an outstanding Council executive director, bringing 22 years of experience working for Montgomery County’s legislative branch to his new role, including five years of public service as the Council’s deputy director,” said Council President Andrew Friedson. “His depth of knowledge navigating complex fiscal and legislative issues as well as Council and county operations position him to seamlessly move into the executive director role. Craig is a collaborative, proven, and trusted leader. All of us who have had the pleasure of working closely with Craig know that he will take on this new position with the same care, commitment, and skill that he has consistently demonstrated throughout his career.”
Howard is an accomplished public policy professional and manager who has a wealth of experience in program evaluation, audits, research and policy analysis. He effectively advises the Council on a diverse and complicated range of issues and works with multiple agencies, organizations and stakeholders across all levels of the public and private sectors.
Additionally, Howard has an extensive budget, fiscal and data analysis background which has enabled him to identify long-term cost drivers and reduce structural budget deficits. He has also analyzed programmatic data and outcomes that have led to improvements in governmental data collection, processes and structures.
Howard earned a masters of public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a bachelor of science from the University of Michigan. He lives in Montgomery County with his family.
Howard succeeds former Council Executive Director Caven West who stepped down from the position on Oct. 25 for family reasons.
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