Rushern Baker changed a once stagnant County into a vibrant, successful, nationally recognized and awarded model of how focused, thoughtful, and collaborative leadership can transform communities, governments and lives for the better. By the end of his eight years as Prince George’s County Executive, homicide rates were cut by more than half and were at a 50-year low; property values increased by record amounts; and the County was the leading economic engine of Maryland having attracted $11 billion in private economic investment. 

As Prince George’s County Executive from 2010 to 2018, Rushern Baker showed exceptional leadership under extraordinary circumstances. Despite being the wealthiest and most educated majority African American jurisdiction in the world, when Rushern Baker took office in 2010 the County was in the midst of an ethics scandal symptomatic of a “pay to play” culture amongst County officials; foreclosures were through the roof; crime was rising; economic development was stagnant; and there was a $150 million budget deficit. Baker had to contend with the expected challenges of leading the County, and was also tasked with rebuilding the executive branch of the government from scratch.

Armed with a well-articulated vision, Baker had the integrity, creative leadership, and courage to enact much-needed change that restored the confidence in the County’s elected leadership. Along with the County Council, Baker instituted a strict ethics law that limits the campaign contributions from developers when there are ongoing projects before the Council and County Executive. That sent a clear signal that deals in Prince George’s County must be transparent and fair. 

In 2012, Baker launched the Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative; a holistic answer to the question of how to serve the neediest communities. Baker focused on solving systemic problems rather than resorting to quick fixes that gloss over the root causes of entrenched obstacles. The cooperative approach and tailored action plans produced a higher quality of life through $20 million in targeted grants; health enterprise zones with ease of access to medical services; all-day Pre-K; and reduction in crime.  

His achievements led Governing Magazine to recognize him in 2013 for his leadership and led his peers to elect him to two terms as the Chair of the County Executives of America. Baker has served on the boards of the National Association of Counties, the Maryland Association of Counties, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. He has also received countless other awards for his leadership and excellence in government administration and programming. Rushern Baker returned to his HBCU roots and taught at Bowie State University as a visiting professor in the Department of History and Government from 2018-19, and is a proud 2018 Bowie State University Foundation Honoree.

Since leaving office in December 2018, Baker has successfully launched a national leadership institute for local government chief executives in consultation with the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and the County Executives America. Baker is the President and CEO of the Baker Strategy Group, a consulting firm providing strategic operational solutions to a variety of public, private sector and non-profit clients through the Washington DC region. Baker also served on several boards including the University of Maryland Medical System, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Junior Tennis Champions Center.

Rushern Baker earned a Bachelors of Arts from Howard University and a Juris Doctorate from Howard University Law School. In his downtime, he enjoys reading about history and is an avid tennis player (his son is his favorite opponent).