As Secretary of MDEM, Mr. Strickland directs a department that has the primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, and disaster recovery for the State of Maryland. This includes serving as a direct advisor to the Governor during disasters and coordinating support for local governments as requested.
Mr. Strickland is an experienced emergency management professional who has more than 40 years of experience in his field including as a Senior Law & Policy Analyst at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security (CHHS), and leading a cabinet-level emergency services department at the local level as the Director of Emergency Services in Harford County, Md.
His executive responsibilities have also included previously serving the State of Maryland as Deputy Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the Assistant Director of the Field Programs Division at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, University of Maryland College Park.