Restructured office will better serve county residents and communities
Annapolis, Md. (March 9, 2020) Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced new personnel and a new structure for the Office of Community Engagement and Constituent Services (CECS). The changes are designed to better serve constituents and provide a larger presence in communities.
“Community engagement is a hallmark of this Administration,” said County Executive Steuart Pittman. “We have hired qualified, experienced staff and now have the structure in place to reach more communities, improve response time to residents and businesses, and give our constituents the service they expect and deserve.”
Director of CECS James Kitchin has created three community engagement areas, which track the regional plan areas established in the General Development Plan process. Each includes three of nine regional plan areas and is assigned to a community engagement officer. Community engagement officers will be focused on outreach and attending community events. Generally, regions 1 - 3 include the northern part of the county; regions 4-6 include the middle part of the county; and regions 7-9 include greater Annapolis and the southern part of the county. A map is available here: https://www.aacounty.org/departments/county-executive/constituent-services/community-engagement/index.html
“Grouping constituent service areas around our regional plan areas will help focus on communities rather than political boundaries,” said Mr. Kitchin.
Two constituent services officers will maintain a strong presence in the office during business hours with issue expertise. They will directly receive and process constituent questions that come in via email, phone, or mail, and work with county agencies to address them. The CECS office also includes the county’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Outreach. More information on CECS and staff bios are available at https://www.aacounty.org/departments/county-executive/constituent-services/staff/
New Community Engagement Officers
Laila Jones (Regions 1 - 3) has called Anne Arundel County home for the last 12 years, including four years on Fort George G. Meade. She is a former journalist who most recently was a French World Language and Culture teacher at Frank Hebron Harmon Elementary School.
Vincent Moulden (Regions 7-9) is a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County. Prior to joining CECS, he worked for an association management firm, where he served as executive director of a state-wide association and managed numerous other marketing initiatives.
Ms. Jones and Mr. Moulden join Reece Peak (Regions 4-6), who has been with CECS since March 2019.
New Constituent Services Officers
Jennifer Holson has over 20 years of administrative office experience in both county government and the private sector. She comes to CECS from the Office of Planning and Zoning, where she served on the Critical Area team and as administrative assistant to the Director.
Tameka Smith is a native Annapolitan, with more than 15 years of county and state government experience. She served as an Administrative Officer in the office of the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. She comes to CECS from the Department of Public Works, Bureau of Highways Division.