When Secretary Y.D. Hance and Deputy Secretary John Cecil hired Doug Wilson in May 1973 as their assistant, the Maryland Department of Agriculture was just five months old, housed over a pet store in Annapolis’ Parole Shopping Center and beginning to take shape as the State Board of Agriculture at the University of Maryland transitioned to the department. Doug, who was a recent University of Maryland graduate and self-described “arrogant little college snot,” never intended to stay.  He couldn’t have known that 36 years later he would be looking back on a public service career that shaped the agency more than anyone else’s.  To understand Doug’s career is to get a lesson in MDA history. One also needs to understand that public administration is in his blood.  His father, Rufus H. Wilson, was deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter and stayed on as acting director during the opening months of the Reagan administration.

Doug came to MDA with degrees in Business and Public Administration and a stint at the U.S. General Services Administration counting kilowatt usage at all federal buildings. His measure of accomplishment was the length of his calculator tape across the office floor.  His connection to agriculture came with a job at the University of Maryland as part of a Beltsville-based sheep research team for 2 1/2 years. At MDA, his first charge was to oversee the mailroom and printing operations and to create an “automated” licensing system. He quickly began absorbing more administrative responsibilities, a trend that remained consistent throughout his tenure. He feels fortunate that one of the Assistant Secretaries at the time, Dick Carter, took him under his wing and taught him about state government.

As a new agency, the department sought land where it could fulfill its mission of serving the citizens of Maryland and most particularly the agriculture community.  Doug became MDA’s point person for the planning, design and construction of the new headquarters building.  He counts his role in this project as one of his most visible and enduring accomplishments.  At the time of its completion, it was among the most modern laboratory facilities in the country.

The first conceptual plans were drawn up in 1974 while the agency struggled to find a suitable headquarters location.  Initially the agency was directed to use very old buildings at the Crownsville Hospital Center.  As fortune would have it, Anne Arundel County wanted the buildings.  In what Doug called one of the state’s “greatest land deals,” the Board of Public Works quickly authorized a land swap, transferring 15 acres of county land for the MDA Headquarters in exchange for some of the Hospital facilities. What followed was a phased construction of a state-of-the-art headquarters and laboratory building.  The building was completed in 1983, the same year that Secretary Wayne Cawley selected Doug to be chief of Administrative Services.

As the agency moved into its completed home, MDA began a period of growth with the establishment of the Resource Conservation Office in 1984.  In this era, Doug served as the agency’s legislative liaison for a period of time.  He counts Jack Miller, one of agriculture’s leading advocates in Annapolis at the time, as one of his mentors for teaching him the legislative ropes.  MDA grew to about 600 people, until the economic downturn during Governor Schaefer’s term in the early 1990s.  During this time, Sec. Cawley added the oversight of the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation to Doug’s responsibilities.

One of Doug’s greatest accomplishments and sources of pride is his role in building the agency and its facilities and growing it into something great.  Each year, despite the budgetary ups and downs, expansions and contractions of programs, Doug has worked to keep “the train and all the cars going in the same direction” and has found a way for the agency to close the budget within the legal requirements.  His deep understanding of the agency and his emphasis on playing out all different scenarios and “what-ifs” has helped him lead MDA through the most fruitful and the challenging times.  His underlying philosophy is “to be open to a fault. Tell people what is going on because you don’t know nearly as much as you think you do and need everyone’s input.”  This is quite an evolution from the “arrogant little college snot” who didn’t think he’d stick around long.

MDA, agriculture and the citizens of Maryland owe Doug a great debt of gratitude for his dedication to public service.  At the department, he leaves us with so much more than a building. He reminds us routinely about the value of established policy to guide us through the issue of the day; the caution of precedent; the need for consistency, and how to consider all sides of an issue or question in 100,000 words or less. MDA is a better place because of him.

So, what will Doug do in his retirement?  He’s using the coming eight months to play out all the scenarios and “what ifs” to figure out how he’ll divide his time among his true loves – his family, especially his wife Debbie, daughter Kristie and his grandkids, golf, and  travel.   The first order of business, however, will be a trip to Paris with Debbie this spring (he cancelled it last year to deal with the agency budget).  One thing is for sure, if he lives his retirement with as much gusto, dedication and commitment as he has his career, the golf greens will never be the same and “Grampy” will be a frequent babysitter extraordinaire.

Caption: Doug Wilson, left, shares a laugh at his retirement party with Secretary Buddy Hance.