![[photograph of Lt. Governor Townsend]](/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/images/msa12084.jpg)
KATHLEEN KENNEDY TOWNSEND, Lieutenant Governor (Democrat)
As Maryland's crime czar, the designer of a nationwide model child and family services strategy, a champion for service and volunteerism, and the guiding force behind the State's economic development strategy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has sought to engage the best energies of citizens, cut through ideological debates and focus on results. Vice-President Al Gore has said that "Kathleen has done more for her state than most Governors."
In order to bring Marylanders into our fight against crime, Lt. Governor Townsend began the first statewide academy to teach community policing techniques designed to build trust between citizens and law enforcement. Her HotSpot Communities Initiative joins neighborhood groups with police, prosecutors, and government agencies to design and implement a comprehensive enforcement and prevention strategy in targeted high-crime neighborhoods. Hailed as a national model by Attorney General Janet Reno, HotSpots has significantly reduced crime and restored a sense of peace and security to communities throughout the State.
Lt. Governor Townsend has used the same results-oriented strategy to maximize the impact of Maryland's other anti-crime efforts. Moving beyond the fruitless debate between prevention and punishment, her pioneering Break the Cycle anti-drug initiative combines drug testing, sanctions, and treatment to motivate addicted offenders to stay drug- and crime-free.
Recognizing that strong, healthy communities grow from strong, healthy families, Lt. Governor Townsend has redesigned Maryland's children and family services to enable local communities to work together to meet the specific needs of families. Lt. Governor Townsend also began one of the first statewide character education initiatives in the country, to reinforce parents' efforts to teach their children our shared values and ideals: courage, integrity, responsibility and respect.
As Chair of the Cabinet Council on Business and Economic Development, Lt. Governor Townsend leads Maryland's economic development initiatives. Along with Governor Glendening, she has worked to reduce or eliminate 15 separate taxes, including the first reduction of Maryland's personal income tax rate in 30 years. Under the leadership of the Glendening-Townsend Administration, Maryland's welfare rolls shrunk by more than 62%, and Maryland's job creation rate jumped from 44th in the nation in 1994 to 16th in the nation in 1998.
Before becoming Lt. Governor, Mrs. Townsend served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice; chaired the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation; and founded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. As the founder and executive director of the Maryland Student Service Alliance, she made Maryland the first State in the country to include a high school community service requirement. Mrs. Townsend also has taught at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC), and at Essex and Dundalk Community Colleges. Currently, she serves on the board of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
The eldest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, Lt. Governor Townsend lives in Baltimore County with her husband, David, a professor at St. John's College in Annapolis. They have four daughters, Meaghan, Maeve, Kate, and Kerry.
Signature Initiatives of Lt. Governor
Member, Governor's Executive Council, 1995-. Chair, Cabinet Council on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, 1995-. Co-Chair, Maryland Family Violence Council, 1995-. Chair, State House Trust, 1995-. Chair, Peabody Institute Oversight Committee, 1995-96. Chair, Task Force on Affiliation between Historic St. Mary's City Commission and St. Mary's College of Maryland, 1996. Chair, Governor's Task Force on Children, Youth, and Families Systems Reform, 1996. Member, Maryland Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families, 1998-; Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism, 1998-. Chair, Task Force to Study Increasing the Availability of Substance Abuse Programs, 1998-. Chair, Governor's Year-2000 Public Information Task Force, 1999-2000. Chair, Advisory Board on After-School Opportunity Programs, 1999-. Co-Chair, Safe Schools Interagency Steering Committee, 1999-. Member, Forvm for Rural Maryland, 1999-.
Senior advisor, Appropriations Committee, House of Delegates, 1984-85. Assistant attorney general, Maryland, 1985-86. Member, Economic Development Commission, Baltimore County, 1987. Executive Director, Maryland Student Service Alliance, State Department of Education, 1987-93. Presidential Elector, Maryland, 1992. Presidential Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993-94.
Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, July 4, 1951. Harvard University, B.A. (history & literature), cum laude; University of New Mexico School of Law, J.D., 1978. Attorney. Delegate, Democratic Party National Convention, 1988, 1996, 2000. Chair, Democratic Caucus of Lt. Governors. Board of Advisors, Export-Import Bank of the United States (EX-IM Bank); Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), The Johns Hopkins University; Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Board of Directors, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; National Institute for Women's Policy Research. Chair, External Advisory Board, Early Infant Transition Center, Kennedy-Krieger Institute. Board of Partners, Radcliffe College. Visionary Leadership Award, Healthy Families America, 2000.
© Copyright April 10, 2001 Maryland State Archives