Maryland Delegation Hosts MD DBED Secretary, Federal Facilities Advisory Board

Press Release

U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chair of the Maryland Delegation, today hosted a roundtable discussion focused on how to leverage the state's existing federal assets for job creation and workforce development.

Christian Johansson, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and Kevin Kelly, President of Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's Federal Facilities Advisory Board presented the Board's priorities on how it can work with the Delegation to create jobs and grow the economy.

Governor O'Malley created the Board in 2009 to assess how Maryland can best support its federal facilities by addressing infrastructure, education and workforce needs. It works to connect Maryland companies with federal opportunities to create jobs, and to help the commercialization of innovation technology being created at federal and military labs.

"I'm proud of the invaluable federal assets in Maryland like the NIH and Goddard," Senator Mikulski said. "These facilities and the workers put on the job create over $16 billion in the state's economy. We have to leverage these tremendous assets to create opportunities in the private sector, not to create bigger government. I am dedicated to working with the Delegation to partner with Governor O'Malley's administration and the private sector to use the state's federal assets to reach the full potential of our innovation economy and workforce."

"The federal government has a strong partnership with Maryland and it's one that I want to see improved upon even more," said Senator Cardin. "From the cybersecurity and biotechnology industries to the numerous military installations and research facilities located in our state, Maryland provides many of the federal worker that are so critical to the federal mission. Maryland and the federal government have a shared interest in working together to coordinate future federal facilities and infrastructure improvements that are needed to keep our nation strong and safe."

"Maryland is home to more than 50 Federal facilities which employ more than 200,000 individuals and support thousands more indirect jobs," stated Congressman Hoyer. "As vital economic engines, it's important that we work to protect these facilities and establish partnerships with state and local businesses to foster job creation and long-term economic growth. Over the years, the Maryland Congressional Delegation has made investing in these Federal facilities and military installations a top priority, enabling the facilities to grow and expand their missions while meeting the needs of our Federal civilian and military workforce. I welcome the contributions of the Governor and his Federal Facilities Advisory Board which will help support our ongoing efforts to create jobs and grow our local economy."

"Because we are home to so many federal agencies, Maryland is poised to become the Silicon Valley of the East, with thousands of new high-paying technical jobs headed our way," Congressman Ruppersberger said. "This is particularly true as our country takes on the challenge of cybersecurity, which will provide real opportunity for our partners in the private sector. We must focus on creating a business-friendly environment so that local businesses can take advantage of these government investments."

"With its proximity to Washington, D.C. and highly-skilled workforce, Maryland is ideally situated to partner with the federal government on national priorities, including cybersecurity and technological innovation. The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and the Governor's Federal Facilities Advisory Board have created a framework to take advantage of federal opportunities and create jobs in the State, and I look forward to working with them to achieve those goals," said Congressman Van Hollen.

"The Maryland economy very clearly benefits from the large footprint of the federal government, including military installation and scientific labs" said Congressman Sarbanes. "It is critical that we leverage federal assets and resources to maximize economic return to our state."

"Maryland's federal facilities are fundamental to the state's economy and play a critical role in our ability to create and maintain good-paying jobs," said Congresswoman Edwards. "Strengthening Maryland's relationship with the federal government is essential to sustaining our federal opportunities and further integrating these facilities into our communities; that is why these meetings with our state partners are so important. I thank Governor O'Malley for creating the Federal Facilities Advisory Board and Senator Mikulski for her leadership in chairing these meetings as we continue to work together on this important initiative."