BALTIMORE, Md. - Maryland Governor-Elect Wes Moore has appointed Salisbury Mayor Jake Day as the Secretary of Housing & Community Development.
“With each announcement, we continue to build a Cabinet that reflects the state we are humbled to serve,” said Moore. “These leaders bring with them great knowledge and deep expertise. This is going to be Maryland’s decade, and our team will lead with service in their hearts.”
Moore says that Day is the 28th Mayor of Salisbury, was born and raised there, and elected to City Council at the age of 30, where he was unanimously elected President.
He says Day's tenure as Mayor is marked by a resurgent downtown, which includes nearly $650 million in new construction, the establishment of two youth community centers, and the creation of a permanent supportive housing program—Housing First—to address chronic homelessness.
According to Moore, before Day was mayor, he focused on revitalizing downtowns and small towns in an effort to make them more vibrant, livable places.
He also says that Day worked for the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy, most recently as Director of the Center for Towns, utilizing design, planning, and implementation help to establish vibrant, sustainable small cities and towns. He says Day also served as national President of the American Institute of Architecture Students and Editor-in-Chief of CRIT, a journal of architecture.
Moore says Day is a U.S. Army Major, currently assigned to the Army National Guard as an Information Operations and Special Technical Operations Officer with the 110th Information Operations Battalion. During his time in the Army, Moore says that Day has recently returned from combat deployment to Somalia, Kenya, and Djibouti where he served as the Special Technical Operations Chief for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
Day also served as the 79th elected President of the Maryland Municipal League, representing all 157 of Maryland's Municipalities. During his time there, the league's main legislative priority passed: the restoration of transportation funding to pave streets and roads in cities across Maryland.
Day currently serves as one of Maryland’s representatives to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Local Government Advisory Committee.
Moore says that Day has a Master of Science, Nature, Society, and Environmental Police from Oxford University, where he graduated with distinction for his dissertation, as well as a Master of Urban Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Maryland.
He says that Day is a proud father to his two daughters, Lilly and Olivia.
Day has announced an announcement regarding Salisbury's future that is scheduled to take place Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m.
Other appointments Moore made in this announcement include Kevin Atticks as the Secretary of Agriculture, Serena McIlwain as Secretary of Environment, Carol Beatty as Secretary of Disabilities, Josh Kurtz as Secretary of Natural Resources, Rebecca Flora as Secretary of Planning, Carmel Roques as Secretary of Aging, Kevin Anderson as Secretary of Commerce, Mayor Emily Keller as Special Secretary of Opioid Response.