Maryland Department of General Services Assistant Secretary Jack Howard Receives National Government Champion Award

BALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Department of General Services (DGS) today announced that Jack Howard, Assistant Secretary, Office of Business Enterprise Administration received the Government Champion Award from the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA).

“Every day General Services works behind the scenes to facilitate the effective running of our state government, so it is a great day when one of our dedicated and hard-working employees receives a noteworthy public recognition,” said Secretary Ellington E. Churchill, Jr. “Jack is a true role model and an exemplary employee, and our entire General Services team congratulates him on this well deserved honor.” 

NASCA, an association devoted to state Chief Administrative Officers and their senior leadership, presents the award to honor an individual that champions the critical role of efficient, effective, equitable operations and demonstrates a passion that good government operations and programs will enhance the customer and citizen experience. The Government Operations Champion Award was established to recognize individuals in departments of administration that demonstrate a passion and execute on advancing the industry.

“Mr. Howard demonstrates both passion and the ability to execute with excellence as is evident  with his successful list of accomplishments for the State of Maryland that have driven new efficiencies, streamlined processes and realized cost savings,” said Pam Goins, NASCA’s Executive Director. “Mr. Howard definitely epitomizes the essence of this award demonstrating the execution of programs that enhance the customer and citizen experience.”

Since April of 2017, Mr. Howard has served as the Assistant Secretary for Business Enterprise Administration. During that time he has been responsible for managing several programs for the state that have a total value of over $2 billion dollars. Those programs include the State Capital Grants and Loans division, Inventory and Fuel Management Standards, MBE & Small Business Outreach and Training, Marketing, the state’s Federal Surplus Program and the state’s Mailroom Operations. As the head of the State Capital Grants and Loans Program, he oversees over 1,400 active capital grant projects that are valued at over $1 billion dollars per year.

Mr. Howard has a long list of accomplishments in Maryland:

• Overhauled the State Capital Loans and Grants Program which provides over $1 billion dollars in grants for state grantees.
• Overhauled the state’s Federal Surplus Program.
• Currently oversees the state’s fuel system contract negotiations.
• Developed mission-critical policies for Inventory Standards for the State of Maryland and Technology Services for the Department of General Services.
• Spearheaded the effort to coordinate with various state departments to successfully develop a statewide Minority & Small Business Outreach and Training workshop to help businesses understand how to work with the State of Maryland.
• Improved and processed the disposal of the state’s excess property in a very successful and efficient manner, generating over $3 million dollars in revenue for DGS and the state in auction sales for the past four years from 2017 – 2021. 

In 2018, Howard also developed a monthly fee structure for fellow state agencies to pay for daily mail delivery. This has saved DGS tens of thousands of dollars over the past four years because, prior to 2018, DGS was not collecting any fees from other state agencies and was instead covering this expense itself.

Over the years, Howard continues to deliver passionate, persistent, dedicated, and committed work to the state of Maryland. He is a shining example of what a government servant should be. Please join DGS in celebrating Mr. Howard as NASCA’s Government Operations Champion.

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About DGS: The Department of General Services is responsible for essential services and programs administered on behalf of the state, including procuring goods and services; designing, building, leasing, managing and maintaining facilities; leading energy conservation efforts; administering the state’s Capital Grants Program; and providing essential services such as fuel management, disposition of surplus property and records management. The Department of General Services Maryland Capitol Police maintains safety and security at state buildings.