Comptroller Peter Franchot will join MEDA members for a 45-minute roundtable discussion on Thursday, March 25 from 10am – 10:45am.
The Comptroller will make brief remarks in summation of The Board of Revenue Estimates March 9th meeting and take questions from MEDA members around fiscal and economic issues for Maryland. The Comptroller is looking forward to the discussion and is asking to hear your thoughts and take your questions on relevant topics. He invites you to share how you have fared during the pandemic.
Join us for this discussion moderated by MEDA member Shelly Gross-Wade, President & CEO, FSC First. This event is free and open to MEDA members only.
The Honorable Peter Franchot has served as Maryland’s 33rd comptroller since 2007. First elected to his current post in 2006, Comptroller Franchot has been re-elected three times; most recently in 2018, during which he received 1.6 million votes – the highest number of votes casted for any candidate for state government office in Maryland history.
As Maryland’s chief fiscal officer, Comptroller Franchot is a tireless champion for working families and small businesses, and is a stalwart advocate for fiscal policies that strengthen our state’s economy. As chief executive officer of a 1,100- person state agency, Comptroller Franchot is focused on delivering respectful, responsive, and results-oriented taxpayer service, and the Maryland Comptroller’s Office, under his leadership, is considered one of the most effective and efficient Comptroller’s Office in the nation.
The Constitution and the laws of Maryland also charge Comptroller Franchot with other critical duties – including regulating alcohol, motor fuel, and tobacco and a seat on the Board of Public Works, which is comprised of the governor and state treasurer and is responsible for reviewing and approving billions of dollars in state contracts annually, and as Vice Chair of the State Retirement Agency.
Prior to his election to statewide office, Comptroller Franchot served twenty years in the House of Delegates, representing the residents of Montgomery County. As a delegate, he served on the House Appropriations Committee and chaired its transportation and the environment subcommittee. Throughout his legislative career, Comptroller Franchot has been a strong advocate for education, health care, transportation, and environmental protection initiatives.
Comptroller Franchot attended Amherst College and Northeastern School of Law. From 1968- 1970, he served in the United States Army. The Comptroller is married to Anne Maher, a lawyer, and they have two children and three grandchildren.
Shelly M. Gross-Wade leads a dynamic team of economic development finance professionals at FSC
First, whose mission is achieved by leading staff and more than 30 volunteers. She possesses more than
30 years of executive-level management experience in economic development finance. Gross-Wade
provides day-to-day leadership and oversight, is responsible for budgeting, fiscal and internal controls,
staffing, strategic planning, resource development, grant writing, fundraising, marketing, business
development, developing and achieving the annual work action plan. Under her leadership FSC First has
become a best practice Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a SBA 504 Certified
Development Company (CDC), and a Lender Service Provider managing other organizations economic
development financing programs.
Mr. Schaufele is in his eighth year as Director of the Bureau of Revenue Estimates
(BRE) after serving for several years as the Assistant Director. As the Director of BRE,
Andy’s principal duties are to, in consultation with other branches of government,
provide the official estimates for the State’s economy and revenues. Before joining the
Comptroller’s Office, Andy spent seven years in various private sector management
positions, working in both consumer and commercial oriented product lines. Andy holds
a bachelor’s degree from Towson University, where he studied management and
economics, and a Master of Business Administration from the joint University of
Baltimore and Towson University program. Over the last nine years Andy has
championed the tax agency’s adaptation of analytics and data warehousing with a focus
towards improving decision making criteria and fraud detection. He is a Baltimore
native, and currently lives in Severna Park, Maryland with his wife, daughter, and son.
Heather Gramm joined the Maryland Department of Commerce as Senior Director of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship in June 2019. In this role, she oversees the development and implementation of the state’s efforts to grow the strategic industries of biohealth and life sciences, cybersecurity and aerospace, manufacturing, energy and agriculture. In addition, she oversees Commerce’s strategic initiatives for entrepreneurship, small business, and workforce development.
Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Director for the Frederick County Office of Economic Development overseeing the county’s business development efforts, including business attraction, retention and expansion, small and minority business development strategies, as well as industry-sector development in the county’s targeted sectors.
Heather has more than 17 years of experience in municipal, county and state economic development in a variety of roles including business development, community development and downtown revitalization. She earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Hood College and the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification through IEDC. She serves as President of the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA) Board of Directors.
