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Government & Politics

Valentine’s Day Feature: Maryland Power Couples

By Josh Kurtz

 Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today we celebrate love, romance, chocolates, champagne, flowers, Hallmark, etc. etc.

heart artAnd here at Maryland Matters we are celebrating Maryland power couples – couples where both mates are politically prominent or making a difference in the state and beyond.

When we solicited opinions about who we should include on this list, more than a few wags suggested Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan (R) and state Comptroller Peter Franchot (D).

So without further ado, here is our list. If we missed anybody, let us know. It’s never too early to start preparing for 2019!

Erin Appel and Travis Martz

She: Senior government relations associate at Capitol Strategies, an Annapolis lobbying firm

He: Attorney and lobbyist for the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association

Bethamy Beam and David Brinkley

She: Attorney and chairwoman of the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals

He: Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management

Brenda Beitzell and Leonard Lucchi

She: Principal, Bowie Montessori Children’s House

He: Attorney and lobbyist with O’Malley, Miles, Nylen & Gilmore.

Andre Cawley and Chris Uhl

Andre: Graphic artist whose services are increasingly being used by political campaigns

Chris: Senior associate at Martin-Lauer Associates, the Democratic fundraising powerhouse in Baltimore

Hearts pic 2Shareese Churchill and Ellington Churchill

She: Press secretary to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan (R)

He: Secretary at the Department of General Services

Diana Conway and Bill Conway

She: Powerhouse Montgomery County political activist

He: Attorney and candidate for Montgomery County Council

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings and Elijah Cummings

She: Policy consultant and erstwhile candidate for governor

He: Congressman and ranking Democrat, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Monique Davis and Dereck Davis

She: Deputy superintendent, Prince George’s County Public Schools

He: Chairman, House Economic Matters Committee in Annapolis

Candace Donaho and Patrick Donaho

She: Director of governmental relations, Maryland Municipal League

He: Former president, Maryland Retailers Association

Karen Polet Doory and Brian Doory

She: Development director, Maryland League of Conservation Voters

He: Campaign manager, Jim Shea for governor

Hearts picErin Favazza and John Favazza

She: Lobbyist for University of Maryland University College

He: Lobbyist in Annapolis with Manis & Canning

Camille Fesche and Will Smith

She: Lobbyist in Annapolis with Rifkin Weiner Livingston

He: State senator

Julianne Fiastro and John Fiastro

She: Director of analysis and reporting, Maryland Lottery Agency

He: Government affairs director, Maryland Energy Administration and Republican candidate for the House of Delegates in Baltimore County’s District 42B

Pete Fosselman and Duane Rollins

Pete: Former mayor of Kensington, former deputy secretary of state, now running for Montgomery County Council

Duane: Kensington town councilman

Hannah Garagiola and Rob Garagiola

Both: Annapolis lobbyists for Alexander & Cleaver

Emily Gontrum and John Gontrum

She: Director of intergovernmental relations, Maryland comptroller’s office

He: Assistant state comptroller

Victoria Gruber and Tom Lewis

She: Executive director, Department of Legislative Services

He: Vice president of government and community affairs, Johns Hopkins University

Hearts picJessica Haire and Dirk Haire

She: Attorney and candidate for Anne Arundel County Council

He: Attorney and chairman of the Maryland Republican Party

Fun fact: They work at the same Washington, D.C., law firm

Marta Harting and Bobby Neall

She: Attorney and Annapolis lobbyist with Venable

He: Veteran government Mr. Fix-It, currently nominated to serve as state secretary of health

Wendy Hershey and Steven Hershey

She: Land conservation liaison, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

He: State Senate minority leader

Mark Hodge and Rich Madaleno

Mark: Deputy health officer, Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services

Rich: State senator and candidate for governor

Jolene Ivey and Glenn Ivey

She: Candidate for Prince George’s County Council, former state lawmaker, former candidate for lieutenant governor

He: Attorney, former Prince George’s state’s attorney, former chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission

The next generation: Their son Julian Ivey is now a councilman in Cheverly

Michelle Jawando and Will Jawando

She: Vice president, Center for American Progress

He: Candidate for Montgomery County Council

Talking politics: He’s making his third run for political office since 2014. She hasn’t ruled out running for office some day – when their three daughters are older.

Hearts picKristin Jones and Joe Bryce

She: Vice president of external affairs, University of Maryland Medical System

He: Lobbyist in Annapolis with Manis & Canning

Lisa Harris Jones and Sean Malone

Both: Partners in the eponymous lobbying firm Harris Jones Malone

Anne Kaiser and Nancy Lineman

Anne: Chairwoman, House Ways and Means Committee in Annapolis

Nancy: General counsel and adjunct professor, Montgomery College

Pamela Kasemeyer and Ed Kasemeyer

She: Partner, Schwartz, Metz & Wise lobbying firm in Annapolis

He: Chairman, state Senate Budget & Taxation Committee

Sheilah Kast and James C. Rosapepe

She: Host, “On the Record,” WYPR Radio

He: State senator

Fun fact: They co-wrote a book on Eastern Europe, “Dracula Is Dead,” based on his time as U.S. ambassador to Romania

Elizabeth Edsall Kromm and Jonathan Kromm

She: Vice president of population health and advancement, Howard County General Hospital

He: Vice president, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Dramatic story: Elizabeth Kromm, a cancer survivor, became a biological mother of two girls in the same month – who were not twins

Susan Lawrence and Guy Guzzone

She: Chief of staff to state Senate Finance Chairman Thomas “Mac” Middleton (D)

He: State senatorHearts pic 2

Beth Levine and Brian Levine

She: Vice president, KOFA Public Affairs in Baltimore

He: Vice president, Greater Baltimore Committee

Fun fact: They work in the same office building

Amanda Brown Lierman and Kyle Lierman

She: Political director, Democratic National Committee

He: CEO of Civic Advisors

Talking politics: Which of these two political animals is more likely to run for office some day? He ran for House of Delegates in District 16 eight years ago; now they live in District 20.

Hearts picJulie Madden and Marty Madden

She: Board member, Maryland Humanities

He: Former state senator, former senior adviser to Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan

Kathleen Matthews and Chris Matthews

She: Chairwoman, Maryland Democratic Party

He: You know

Allison Mayer and Doug Mayer

She: Managing director, marketing and communications, Maryland Department of Commerce

He: Communications director, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan

Fun fact: They met in her native South Carolina when he was communications director for then-Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and she was the public relations manager for the South Carolina Ports Authority in Charleston.

Caitlin McDonough and Ben Barnes

She: Lobbyist with Harris Jones Malone

He: State delegate

Maggie McIntosh and Diane Stollenwerk

Maggie: Chairwoman, state House Appropriations Committee

Diane: Health policy consultant

Cheryl Miller and Mike Miller

She: Former candidate for House of Delegates

He: Offshore wind executive. Not the state Senate president.

Fun facts: Former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke was her campaign treasurer, and the Millers host numerous political fundraisers in their Annapolis home – usually for winners

Molly Mitchell and Vinny DeMarco

She: Senior alcohol program policy manager, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

He: The master of statewide progressive policy initiatives

Sonia Mora and Gustavo Torres

She: Director, Montgomery County Latino Health Services Initiative

He: Executive director, CASA de Maryland

Marilyn Mosby and Nick Mosby

She: Baltimore City state’s attorney

He: State delegate, former Baltimore city councilman and erstwhile mayoral candidate

Hearts picKatie Nash and Corey Stottlemyer

She: Lobbyist with Greenwill Consulting Group in Annapolis and Frederick civic activist extraordinaire

He: Senior policy analyst, Maryland Department of Transportation

Maureen Quinn and Kumar Barve

She: Commissioner, Maryland Workers Compensation Commission

He: Chairman, House Committee on Environment and Transportation in Annapolis

Laurie-Anne Sayles and Julian Haffner

She: Gaithersburg city councilwoman

He: Attorney and candidate for House of Delegates

Krishanti Vignarajah and Colin O’Mara

She: Candidate for governor

He: President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation

Annie Wells and Rush Baker

She: Communications strategist, National Education Association

He: Artist and key strategist for his dad, Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker (D)

Hearts picKaren White and Rob Johnson

She: Political director, National Education Association

He: Principal, Capitol Strategies in Annapolis

Julia Pitcher Worcester and Key Worcester
She: Lobbyist, president of the Maryland Government Relations Association

He: Key Worcester, deputy director of the Division of Finance & Administration, Maryland Department of Budget & Management

Fun fact: Their fathers were also players on the Maryland political scene: Bill Pitcher is still lobbying; Rocky Worcester was the founding president of Maryland Business for Responsive Government.

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Valentine’s Day Feature: Maryland Power Couples