Williams's experience and commitment to equity cited as strengths to move crucial work forward

BALTIMORE, MD. (Friday, September 16, 2022) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced the appointment of Justin Williams as the new Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development. Williams will assume the position effective October 11.

Reporting directly to Chief Administrative Officer Christopher Shorter, Williams will oversee 14 agencies responsible for neighborhood development and revitalization, housing, planning, workforce development, and tourism. Williams brings a wealth of experience in real estate development and finance to City Hall, which Mayor Scott said will benefit the administration as well as the City of Baltimore. Williams is presently a partner with Baltimore-based law firm, Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, LLP, where he has focused on land use and zoning matters for the last eight years. He was also previously a member of the land use and zoning practice group at Venable LLP.

"Justin shares our commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment when it comes to community and economic development," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "He is very familiar with this city, its potential and its areas for growth. I am very confident that Justin will be extremely effective in designing and implementing a plan that will create ample opportunities for sustainable and inclusive economic development here in the City of Baltimore."

Williams will be well positioned to execute Mayor Scott's vision for equitable growth by boosting the collaborative efforts of key players and stakeholders from both inside and outside the government who too frequently have a habit of working in isolation. He previously worked in City Hall as a CitiStat Analyst responsible for evaluating and analyzing the performance of the Department of Recreation & Parks and the Department of Transportation and played a key role in regularly briefing the Mayor's Cabinet in the areas of performance metrics, collection of data, planning and budgeting. He also led collaborative initiatives to reduce domestic violence and gun violence by facilitating regular meetings of representatives from city, state, and federal law enforcement, prosecutorial, and supervisory agencies. After leaving City Hall and entering private practice, his commitment to public service continued. He has previously served as a member of the Maryland State Board for Professional Engineers and is currently completing a term as a member of the Maryland State Board of Elections.

His legal background as well as his experience working for, with, and around the City gives him an opportunity to excel in a role that is pivotal to addressing the causes of economic inequality and advancing the Mayor's Action Plan pillar for Equitable Neighborhood Development.

"As a zoning attorney who has worked on development projects throughout the region, I've seen how all levels of government have historically employed policies explicitly intended to promote and sustain segregation and how many of our city's present-day racial disparities can be traced to them," Williams added. "I'm committed to putting in the work to inspire new faith in the City's government to create the conditions for everyone to have an affordable home in a safe and stable neighborhood that offers good jobs, schools, and a sense of promise."

"I look forward to working with the Mayor, City Administrator Shorter, and the rest of City government to pull every lever in our reach to attack the core issues that brought us to this point," continued Williams, adding that his primary objective will be to implement initiatives that take Baltimore from being known as a city with low economic mobility and high poverty to a city where opportunities for advancement won't depend on race, ethnic background or zip code.

Williams graduated from Bryant University where he also earned his Master's of Business Administration degree and received his Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center. He resides in Southeast Baltimore with his wife.