TRENT KITTLEMAN for HOWARD COUNTY

Trent is the co-founder and Managing Partner of GenderStrategy, a business that trains men and women to communicate better in the business world.  Her book, Why Must There Be Dragons?  Empowering Women to Master Their Careers Without Changing Men, has sold almost 2,000 copies to date. 

Below is a snapshot of Trent's unique blend of experience in state and federal governments, corporations, entrepreneurship and community action.  In each environment, she has identified the critical issues, used creative teamwork to find solutions, and made things happen!

As Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Trent was responsible for the seven major toll facilities, 1,700 employees (including 450 sworn police officers), a $218 million annual operating budget, and a $4.5 billion 6-year capital program.  Given the challenge by Governor Ehrlich, she was able to reduce the notorious summer weekend congestion at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge through a series of creative enhancements, sound marketing and teamwork.

As the Chief Operating Officer of the 9,100-employee Department, Trent was responsible for carrying out the policy decision of her boss, Transportation Secretary Bob Flanagan for the Port of Baltimore, BWI Marshall Airport, State Highways, the Motor Vehicle Administration, and the Transit Administration. 

But her personal passion for making things better led her to request the direct responsibility for transforming the State's poorly performing transportation system ("paratransit") for Maryland's severely disabled citizens.   Through ingenuity and hard work, Trent and her team were able to increase on-time performance from 75 percent to over 90 percent, achieve regulatory compliance, avoid a Department of Justice lawsuit, and significantly improve the lives of our severely-disabled neighbors by reducing the stress of waiting for late transportation.

Trent enjoyed several years as a real estate attorney in the Company's Senior Living Services division.  However, it was her transfer to legislative affairs and promotion to Vice President that gave her the opportunity to really "make things happen" including:
♦  Finding the key to the winning strategy in a major Congressional lobbying effort to eliminate “paired share REITs” (a special category of real estate investment trusts)
♦  Putting together the package that enabled Trent and the Marriott team to negotiate $30-$40 million in economic incentives from the State and County to retain Company Headquarters in Maryland
♦  Collaborating with the 33 members of the Montgomery County Transportation Task Force and the planning staff in a successful effort to have the InterCounty Connector be recommended in the Report.