Russell J. Strickland has been leading the Maryland Department of Emergency Management since July 2015 and was reappointed secretary of emergency management by Governor Wes Moore in January 2023. In this role, Strickland directs a department that has the primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, disaster recovery, the Maryland 9-1-1 Board, and the Office of Resilience 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.
Strickland is an experienced emergency management professional who has more than 40 years of experience in the field of emergency services and first responder activities at the state and local levels of government, academia, and the private sector. This includes expertise in fire and rescue services, emergency medical services, fire inspection and investigation, communications, and emergency management leadership.
Strickland has a master of science degree in Management from Frostburg State College. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park.