Mr. Winstead is an attorney specializing in land use, transportation and government regulatory affairs.  He served as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation from 1995-1999, and was also President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1998.  Earlier in his career, he was Executive Director of the Washington-Baltimore Regional Association, a business and economic alliance between the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Greater Washington Board of Trade.

In 1993, while a partner in the law firm of Wilkes Artis, Mr. Winstead was the recipient of the Regional Partnership Award of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) for his work in regional governance and planning initiatives.

In 2002 he was appointed by President Bush and served in a pro-bono capacity as chair of the National Commission to Ensure Consumer Information in the Airline Industry, which made recommendations to Congress and the White House concerning the air travel industry. 

A native of Baltimore, Mr. Winstead graduated from Gilman School before earning an undergraduate degree in economics from Denison University in Granville, Ohio; an MBA from Columbia University in New York; and a Juris Doctor from Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC.

"BMC is extremely fortunate to have attracted someone with David Winstead’s background and abilities to guide the Metropolitan Council in the years ahead," said County Executive Owens in making the announcement.  "His innate understanding of the Baltimore region, his commitment to regionalism, and his substantial experience in transportation, land use law and economic development will be a great asset to the organization."

"I look forward to strengthening the transportation resources and opportunities for regionalism in the Baltimore Metropolitan area, as well as building on the base of BMC’s current programs and services to local governments in the Baltimore region and the region’s citizens," Mr. Winstead said in accepting the appointment.  "The recent Vision 2030 program both defines needs and presents challenges for the Baltimore region in the years ahead."

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council was founded as a private nonprofit organization in 1992 as the successor to the Regional Planning Council, a state agency.  BMC is the organization of the region’s elected executives, who are committed to identifying regional interests and developing collaborative strategies, plans and programs which will improve the quality of life and economic vitality through out the region.  The Board of Directors consists of the Mayor of Baltimore City; the Executives of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties; and the president of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners.  BMC also provides technical and staff support to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB), the federally-recognized Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for transportation in the Baltimore region.