The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has announced several new Salisbury-affiliated hires to fill remaining leadership roles at the agency.

Under Secretary Jake Day’s leadership, the department priorities are to shelter every Marylander, expand affordable housing, build places using the best design standards that foster civic pride and to connect all Marylanders to broadband.

“The new team members bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in economic development, public service and housing, and multiply the capacity the department has to reach its goals and further its mission,” said Day, Salisbury former mayor.

Day was named to lead DHCD in January.

Among Day’s latest hires:

Chuck Cook, Chief Legislative Officer

Cook, formerly of Salisbury, the department’s Chief Legislative Officer, comes from the Business Network for Offshore Wind, where he served as Vice President of Policy and Labor Outreach.

In that role, he focused on aligning federal and state policy, with regard to workforce development, to support the offshore wind domestic supply chain.

Prior to that, he served for seven years as the Political and Legislative Director of the Maryland State and D.C. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, advancing the legislative goals for the federation and its affiliates in the Maryland General Assembly.

Cook earned his degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Salisbury University.

Allison Foster, Director of Communications

Foster is the Director of Communications for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Previously, Foster served as Media Specialist and Acting Communications Director for the City of Salisbury, managing the city’s communications and marketing initiatives. During her time with Salisbury, she directed and executed campaigns around the Salisbury Zoo’s first-ever rebranding, the city’s single-use plastic bag ban, Salisbury’s first transitional housing community, and additional community events, policies and programs.

Foster graduated in 2020 from The New School with a bachelor’s in Journalism and Design and attended Hofstra University’s Journalism program. While at Hofstra University, Foster served as Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Hofstra Chronicle, overseeing a team of staff writers.

While at The New School, Allison served as a staff writer for The New School Free Press, covering the arts and student affairs.

Theo Williams, Special Assistant

Williams started as Special Assistant in the Department’s Office of the Secretary after working for three years with the Maryland Department of Health’s Contact Tracing Unit.

During his time at the Maryland Department of Health, Williams helped to develop and implement the state’s contact tracing response to Covid-19, which responded to over 1.6 million cases and 800,000 contacts through phone call, text message and web survey outreach. 

Prior to his time at MDH, Williams worked at PATH, an international health nonprofit, and the city of Salisbury.

While working for Salisbury, Williams developed and implemented the city government’s first permanent supportive housing program for the chronically homeless, using the Housing First model. Williams completed his undergraduate education at Salisbury University and holds a master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Cook, Foster and Williams join two previous Salisbury-related hires:

Julia Glanz, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Initiatives

Glanz is the department’s Assistant Secretary for Strategic Initiatives, which is responsible for shaping new initiatives to achieve the policy objectives of the administration.

Glanz served as the City Administrator for the City of Salisbury, managing day-to-day operations across all the city’s departments. She also served as Acting Mayor and led Salisbury forward through challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ben Penserga, Deputy Director of Communications

In the department’s Office of Public Information, Penserga serves as the Deputy Director of Communications to assist in telling the stories of the important work of the department and its employees.

Penserga previously worked for the Comptroller of Maryland. Prior to that, he worked as a reporter and editor for The Daily Times and Delmarva Now in Salisbury.