Presenter Bios
Beth Blauer is currently the Director of Maryland’s StateStat Office under the leadership of Governor Martin O’Malley. As Director, Ms. Blauer oversees the day to day operations of the office, runs the weekly StateStat meetings, and reports to the Governor and his senior staff on the progress the State agencies are making toward achieving their goals. In addition, StateStat has most recently been charged with the responsibility of tracking and reporting every stimulus dollar that enters the state as a result of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ms. Blauer joined the StateStat team after 5 years of service at Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services where she last served as the Department’s Chief of Staff. Ms. Blauer is a graduate of the New York Law School where she was a Public Interest Fellow and is an active member of the Bar in Maryland and New York. Ms. Blauer received her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Barb Burgener has served as the Government Management, Accountability and Performance consultant to the Office of Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire since October 2006. Prior to her current appointment, she was a senior team member of the Office of Performance and Strategic Initiatives within the Health Care Authority and was nominated for the Governor’s Distinguished Manager Award. The program's purpose is to improve the overall competitiveness of the state's economy by stimulating state industries, businesses and organizations to bring about measurable successes.
Judy Hall serves as Performance Manager at the Washington Department of Social and Health Services.
Spencer Nichols is Deputy Director of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blank's Office of CitiStat for the City of Baltimore. His assigned agencies include the Department of Transportation, GunStat and the Baltimore Police Department. Prior to joining the Office of CitiStat, Mr. Nichols served as a Lieutenant in the Navy JAG Corps. Mr. Nichols earned his JD at Georgetown Law School in 2006 and earned his undergraduate degree at Bucknell University in 2003.
Philip Pié, a 32 year veteran of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation (DPP), was appointed Deputy Secretary for Programs and Services in early 2010. As Deputy Secretary he is charged with overseeing re-entry and victim services programs, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, and all substance abuse, mental health, and medical treatment programs for inmates and detainees through the Office of Treatment Services. Mr. Pié recently served as Executive Deputy Director of DPP. In this capacity he managed field operations for the Division of Parole and Probation, working to guide the agency’s efforts to ensure safer communities through the application of various general and specialized supervision strategies, including efforts focusing on accurate risk assessment, effective containment, and interagency collaboration. As a graduate of Frostburg State University, Mr. Pié earned a B.A. in Sociology.
Steven Sharkey serves as the Division Chief of Special Services and Property Management in Baltimore City’s Bureau of Solid Waste, where he has spearheaded efforts to decrease overtime usage by 40 percent and reforms that led to significant declines in time lost due to accidents and unscheduled call-ins. Prior to joining the Bureau of Solid Waste, Mr. Sharkey served as Deputy Director of Baltimore’s CitiStat Program. Mr. Sharkey started as an intern and rose through the ranks to become Deputy Director within 3 years of joining the CitiStat team. During his time at CitiStat, Mr. Sharkey was an Analyst for nearly every operational agency in the City including the Fire Department, Human Resources, General Services, Water & Wastewater, School Maintenance, ProjectStat, and Solid Waste. During his time there he worked with the Department of General Services to increase Right-of-Way permit revenue through targeted enforcement. Furthermore, Mr. Sharkey worked with the Bureau of Solid waste to decrease costs at the city landfill by ending a program that provided free dumping privileges to non-profit groups – a program that cost the City between 1 and 2 million dollars a year. Mr. Sharkey holds a BA in Political Science from McDaniel College and a MPP from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.