BALTIMORE (February 5, 2003)  -- The Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) announced that the Honorable Janet S. Owens, Anne Arundel County Executive, was elected Chair at its Board of Directors meeting on February 4. Baltimore Mayor Martin J. O’Malley was elected Vice Chair.  Anne Arundel County Executive Owens succeeds Howard County Executive James N. Robey, who served as chair in 2002. Other board members include Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, Jr., Carroll County Commissioner Julia Gouge, and Harford County Executive James M. Harkins.

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council is the organization of the region's elected executives, which serves as a forum for identifying regional interests and developing collaborative strategies, plans and programs to improve the quality of life and economic vitality throughout the region. In addition, BMC provides technical support to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, the federally-designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Baltimore region.

"This year, BMC will continue its work on regional emergency preparedness," said Executive Owens.  "It’s crucial that local governments are prepared to provide a coordinated response to any kind of emergency."

Janet S. Owens is currently serving her second term as Anne Arundel County Executive, overseeing 24 county agencies and departments.  Since her first election in 1998, County Executive Owens has become a statewide leader in the area of Smart Growth, secured funding to hire more teachers and increase teacher salaries, and ensured that public safety officers in Anne Arundel County have the financial and technological resources they need. 

An Anne Arundel County native, Ms. Owens was born and raised on a South County farm.  She attended Owensville Elementary School and Southern High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Washington University and a Master's in Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Ms. Owens has served as the director of the Anne Arundel County Housing Authority, director of the Department of Aging, and in 1990 was elected as a Judge of the Orphan's Court.  She was on the Board of Directors for Providence Center and Fairfield Nursing Home, and served as an officer and trustee of Harbor Hospital.  She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

She was appointed by Governor Glendening to serves on the Maryland Building Rehabilitation Code Advisory Council, the Governor’s Work Force Investment Board,  and  the Special Committee on Voting Systems and Election Procedures.  She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Baltimore Alliance, the Maryland Department of Transportation Advisory Council for Port Land Use Development, and Board of the Maryland Association of Counties. 

A two-time winner of the YWCA Award for Outstanding Women, Ms. Owens was recognized as Outstanding Government Leader for 2002 by the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. 

Ms. Owens lives in Millersville with her husband, David. The couple has two children, one attending college and the other living and working in Virginia.