ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Martin O'Malley today appointed former Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Chief Financial Officer Peter Benjamin of Garrett Park to represent Montgomery County on the WMATA Board of Directors. Governor O'Malley also appointed Attorney Elizabeth M. Hewlett of Bowie to represent Prince George's County on the WMATA Board of Directors. Ms. Hewlett most recently served the county as the Chair of the Prince George's County Planning Board and as the Chair of the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
"The State is honored to have such talented public servants as Peter Benjamin and Elizabeth Hewlett agree to represent Marylanders on the WMATA Board," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "Their depth of expertise in planning and transit financing will be crucial to improving Metro service for the thousands of transit riders that depend on it every day. I have asked them to focus on improving safety, ensuring efficiency and performance measures, and creating new transit-oriented developments."
Mr. Benjamin retired from WMATA in March 2006 after serving for 20 years, including: 13 years as Chief Financial Officer, four years as Director of Planning, and three years as a Senior Financial Advisor. Prior to that, he worked for 11 years for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as Associate Administrator. In that capacity, he provided transit financial assistance nationwide and oversaw technology development, safety, and training. From 1968 to 1971, he did mission planning, crew training, and flight operations for the Apollo missions.
He holds a doctorate in Systems Synthesis and Design from Northwestern University, a masters in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering and Astronautics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. More recently, Mr. Benjamin has been very involved in national transportation organizations including: the Transportation Research Board, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the American Public Transportation Association. He also has served Montgomery County as Mayor of Garrett Park for three terms and currently serves as a Garrett Park Town Council Member.
Ms. Hewlett is a Principal in the law firm of Shipley & Horne, P.A. In 2006, she completed her term as the longest serving Chair of the Prince George's County Planning Board and as Chair of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and as the first African American and first woman to hold these positions. As Chair, she served on the Commission's Executive and Finance Committees, as well as Vice Chair of the M-NCPPC Employee Retirement System Board. Prior to her appointment as Chair, Ms. Hewlett served as Associate General Counsel to the Commission; as Associate Attorney with the law firm of Meyers, Billingsley, Shipley, Curry, Rodbell and Rosenbaum; as Staff Counsel for the Legal Aid Bureau; and as staff with the Prince George's County Attorney's Office and the Prince George's County Council.
Ms. Hewlett earned a bachelors degree from Tufts University and a juris doctorate degree from Boston College Law School. Her years of public service include these state and local public appointments: Governor's Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission; Maryland State Board of Law Examiners; the Court of Appeals Commission on Fairness and Equity in the Courts; and Prince George's County Commission 2000; Chair, Metropolitan Development Policy Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and Chair, Prince George’s County Cable Television Commission. Among other awards, Ms. Hewlett has received: the prestigious Gladys Noon Spellman Award for Outstanding Government Service to Prince George's County; the Special Achievement Award from the Prince George's County Chapter of the NAACP; and 2006 Recipient of the Maryland Bar Foundation's Legal Excellence Award. Her leadership has been recognized with the following awards: "Woman of the Year" by the Prince George's Community Foundation; Washingtonian Magazine's "100 Most Powerful Women;" Maryland Daily Record's "Top 100 Women in Maryland;" and Woman of Achievement in Maryland History.
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Jack Cahalan
Erin Henson
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