Richard Madaleno
Chief Administrative Officer
Mr. Madaleno was appointed as Montgomery County’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in 2020. The Montgomery County CAO is the second highest ranking executive branch position after the County Executive. Mr. Madaleno is responsible for overseeing operations and services of over 30 executive branch departments with a $5.5 billion operating budget, $5.1 billion six-year Capital Improvement Program, and 10,000-person workforce supporting a jurisdiction that is over 500 square miles with 1.06 million residents. As CAO, Mr. Madaleno also serves as advisor to the County Executive on all administrative, legislative, financial, and operational matters; a lead liaison between the County Executive and County Council; a liaison to organized labor representatives of the County government workforce; and the head of the County’s $6 billion employee investment board and retirement system.
Since taking over as Chief Administrative Officer in August of 2020, Mr. Madaleno has led the County government’s response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recovery efforts from its impacts. Montgomery County has been recognized nationally and internationally for its success in mitigating case rates and surges, achieving among the highest vaccination rates throughout the nation, and providing quick and equitable economic relief and resources to its residents and businesses.
Concurrent to managing the impacts of the pandemic, Mr. Madaleno is also in charge of implementing County Executive Elrich’s efforts combatting climate change, expanding affordable housing opportunities, implementing all budget and policy decisions through an equity lens, reimagining public safety, and creating economic opportunity and jobs. Under his leadership, Montgomery County has passed one of the most aggressive climate action plans in the country, established the first Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, recorded levels of private investment in the County’s economy, and made historic investments in education and housing. Furthermore, under Mr. Madaleno, Montgomery County has maintained a AAA bond rating from all three rating agencies - out of the approximately 3,000 counties in the United States, only 50 have accomplished this rare achievement. Working with County Executive Elrich, Madaleno helped lead the effort to repeal the County’s outdated Charter revenue cap. This measure was adopted by the voters in 2020 by a margin of nearly 2 to 1.
Prior to serving as CAO, Mr. Madaleno was the Director of the County’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), carrying out the department’s mission of providing budget information that is transparent, comprehensible, and easily accessible for all. As the Director of OMB, Madaleno had to guide County Executive to overcome an inherited $90 million deficit in his first budget cycle and the onset of the pandemic the following year.
A lifelong Montgomery County resident, Mr. Madaleno spent 16 years serving constituents as an elected representative for the County in the Maryland General Assembly. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 to 2007 and in the State Senate representing District 18 from 2007 to 2019. While in the Senate, Mr. Madaleno was the Vice-Chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, where he was known for his ability to find solutions to some of the most challenging budget problems facing the State. He was a leader in education reform serving on the Kirwan Commission and led Maryland’s effort to enact marriage equality for same-gender couples, including the first-in-the-nation passage of a public referendum on the issue in 2012. Prior to his time as an elected official, Mr. Madaleno served for 11 years as a legislative aide and lobbyist for Montgomery County’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations and as a budget analyst for the State of Maryland.
Mr. Madaleno holds a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Russian Studies degree from Syracuse University. He has volunteered his services for Free State Justice, Leadership Montgomery, and is on the Board of the Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. He lives in Kensington with his husband Mark Hodge, is the father of two, and takes pride in being a dedicated fan of the Washington Capitals hockey franchise.