| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 09, 2012 |
Mayor Rawlings-Blake Announces New Chief Of Staff
State Labor Secretary Alexander Sanchez to begin May 16.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake today announced the appointment of Mr. Alexander M. Sanchez as Chief of Staff for her administration, effective May 16, 2012. Mr. Sanchez will work closely with her cabinet and staff to advance the Mayor’s goal to grow Baltimore’s population by 10,000 families over the next decade and oversee the day-to-day functions of City government.
Mr. Sanchez, 43, has served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) since 2009, overseeing more than 2,000 State employees and a $315 million agency budget. As DLLR Secretary under Governor Martin O’Malley, he successfully led a major State agency charged with safeguarding workers, protecting consumers, providing a safety net, and cultivating a thriving workforce that can meet the demands of Maryland’s vibrant economy.
“Alexander Sanchez brings a wealth of great experience to the Mayor’s Office and is a proven public servant who is deeply committed to serving the people of Baltimore,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. “Alex’s expert knowledge of workforce development issues will go a long way to help strengthen our efforts to expand job opportunities and get Baltimore growing again.”
“Alexander Sanchez has been a highly-effective member of my Cabinet over the past three years, spearheading important initiatives to increase skills training and promote continuing education for Maryland’s workforce to better compete in the global economy, ” Governor Martin O’Malley said. “Mayor Rawlings-Blake is getting a very capable, talented, and professional leader that will help drive progress in Baltimore City.”
Prior to joining the O’Malley-Brown administration, Mr. Sanchez served as Senior Vice President for Community Impact Leadership at the United Way of America—the nation’s largest charity. During his tenure at United Way, he oversaw the strategic investment of more than $4 billion in annual contributions and used performance measures and outcomes to create new investment area frameworks that built upon the foundations of education, income, and health.
At United Way, Sanchez developed and launched the Financial Stability Partnership, an economic self-sufficiency initiative for working families, helping to increase Earned Income Tax Credit refunds to $420 million and establishing the United Way as the Internal Revenue Service’s largest national partner. Under Sanchez’s leadership, United Way’s 2-1-1 national health and human services information phone line expanded to cover 81 percent of the country and respond to more than 14 million calls annually.
Prior to joining the United Way in 2005, Mr. Sanchez served as President and CEO of United Neighborhood Centers of America, a national non-profit umbrella organization that fosters neighborhood pride and local decision-making to build better social conditions, helping individuals and families lift themselves out of desperate social conditions in some of America’s most threatened neighborhoods. During his tenure there, he developed job training and employment programs, earning an Annie E. Casey Foundation National Family Strengthening Award grant partnership.
Mr. Sanchez also previously served as the Executive Director for the Hispanic National Bar Association & Foundation, where he increased membership by more than 30 percent through promoting the interests of Hispanic attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students throughout the United States.
“It is a great honor to be given the opportunity to serve the people of Baltimore as Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s Chief of Staff,” Mr. Sanchez said. “Mayor Rawlings-Blake has accomplished much over the past two years—reducing crime to historic lows, strengthening public schools, and reducing property taxes. I look forward to working closely with her and the administration to build upon what is already a record of achievement and success.”
Mr. Sanchez earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College, a Masters of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School. Among other awards, Sanchez has twice been named among the “100 Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business Magazine, most recently in 2010-11.
