Member, Governor's Executive Council, 2015-; Governor's Subcabinet for International Affairs, 2015-. Chair, Governor's Economic Development and Job Creation Fast-Track-Initiative Coordinating Committee, 2015; Governor's Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, 2015; Maryland Subcabinet for Public-Private Partnerships, 2015-. Co-Chair, Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, 2015. Member, Governor's Family Violence Council, 2015-; Regulatory Reform Commission, 2015-18. Chair, Commission to Modernize State Procurement, 2016; Two-Generation Family Economic Security Commission, 2017-18; Maryland Opportunity Zone Leadership Task Force, 2019-. Chair, Governor's Commission to Study Mental and Behavioral Health in Maryland, 2019-.
Associate Administrator, Office of Enterprise Development, 2001-03, and Associate Administrator, Office of Performance Improvement, 2002-03, U.S. General Services Administration.
Secretary of General Services, March 13, 2003 to June 4, 2006. Acting Secretary of General Services, January 16 to March 13, 2003.
Construction Advisor, Board of Public Works, 2003-06. Chair, Government House Trust, 2003-06. Member, Governor's Executive Council, 2003-06; Governor's Council on the Chesapeake Bay (Governor's Chesapeake Bay Cabinet), 2003-06; Smart Growth Subcabinet, 2003-06; Asbestos Oversight Committee, 2003-06; Commission on Correctional Standards, 2003-06; Maryland Food Center Authority, 2003-06; General Professional Services Selection Board, 2003-06; Hall of Records Commission, 2003-06; Maryland Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 2003-06; State Information Technology Board, 2003-06; Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs, 2003-06; Pricing Committee for Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, 2003-06; Pricing and Selection Committee for Rehabilitation and Employment Programs, 2003-06; Procurement Advisory Council, 2003-06; Interagency Committee on School Construction, 2003-06; Maryland Security Council, 2003-05. Board of Directors, Bainbridge Development Corporation, 2003-06. Member, Task Force to Study Efficiency in Procurement, 2003 (chair, organization of procurement system subcommittee); Task Force to Study Public School Facilities, 2003-04; Governor's Task Force on Centralized Bidder Registration for Minority Business Procurement, 2004-05; Advisory Committee on the Naming of State Facilities, Roads, and Bridges, 2005-06.
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2006-09.
Co-Chair, Governor-elect's Transition Team, 2014-15.
Born in Washington, DC, April 1, 1957. Attended Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington, DC; Howard University, B.A. (economics & political science), 1979; Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, M.A. (communications management), 1990; J.D., 1990. Admitted to California Bar, 1990; District of Columbia Bar, 1993; Maryland Bar, 1997. Attorney. Analyst, Energy Group, World Corporate Department, Bankers Trust Company, 1979-81. Marketing representative, Control Data Corporation, 1981-86. Senior account executive, Telenet Communications Corporation, 1986-87. Litigation associate, Carlsmith Wickman Case Mukai & Ichiki, 1990-91. Attorney, Daihatsu America, Inc., 1991-92. Counsel, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc., 1992-94. Associate, Van Ness Feldman, P.C., 1994-98. Associate, Tydings & Rosenberg, LLP, 1998-2000. Director of business development, Kelly Law Registry, 2000-01. Chief Administrative Officer, Republican National Committee, 2009-11. Managing member, Eastwide Strategies, LLC, 2010-15. Of Counsel, Benton Potter & Murdock, P.C., 2012-15. Member, Howard County Republican Central Committee, 1996-2002. Delegate, Republican Party National Convention, 2000. Member, Republican National Lawyers Association; Howard County Chapter, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 1998-2000; Baltimore City Brownfields Redevelopment Council, 1998-2000. Board of Directors, Corridor Transportation Corporation, 1999-2000; Baltimore-Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce. Board of Directors, Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, 2015-. Member, Policy Resolutions Committee, National Lieutenant Governors Association, 2019-. Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award, Bmorenews.com, 2015. Honorary Doctor of Public Service, Morgan State University, 2017. Leadership Award, Douglass Leadership Institute, 2019. Legacy in Leadership Award, Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council, 2019. Visionary of LIGHT, LIGHT Health and Wellness, Inc., 2019. Married; three children.
Prior to serving with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Rutherford served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of General Services under Governor Bob Ehrlich. In that capacity, Mr. Rutherford was responsible for more than $900 million in annual contract administration, and 10 million square feet of State-owned and State-leased facilities. As Secretary of General Services, he continued to find creative ways to save Maryland taxpayers millions of dollars, while also initiating and completing the expansion and renovation of numerous State buildings.
In addition to his public service, Lt. Governor Rutherford has extensive legal and business experience, including service in business and government law, information technology sales, and small and minority business development.
Lt. Governor Rutherford holds a Bachelor’s Degree in economics and political science from Howard University. Additionally, he has a Master’s Degree in communications management and a law degree, both from the University of Southern California.
Lt. Governor Rutherford resides in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife, Monica. They have three adult children.
© Copyright Maryland State Archives