BALTIMORE, MD (Thursday, July 1, 2021) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott is establishing the office that will manage a historic $640 million in investment to Baltimore City through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and appointing the leadership team that will lead that office. 

The Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs will be responsible for administering all aspects of ARPA funding and regularly reporting to the federal government, as well as the public. Shamiah T. Kerney will direct the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs as Chief Recovery Officer. Aaron M. Moore will serve as Deputy Director. Elizabeth Tatum will serve as Project Manager. 

“Putting Baltimoreans back to work, investing in neighborhoods that have historically been left behind, funding community-based violence reduction initiatives, and closing the digital divide are top priorities as we develop a plan that maximizes the impact of ARPA dollars,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “I am committed to a transparent process, and this leadership team at the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs will be a key partner in ensuring accountability and an equitable distribution of this federal investment.” 

Shamiah T. Kerney, Chief Recovery Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, is a longtime public servant, who most recently served as the Deputy Director of Performance Management in the Executive Office of the Mayor for the District of Columbia. In that role, she evaluated service delivery to D.C. residents and businesses provided by District government agencies and assessed equity in budgeting decisions. Kerney was previously a senior analyst at the United States Government Accountability Office with the Financial Markets and Community Investment team. As a part of this team, Shamiah conducted program audits and evaluations at the request of Congress for federal programs related to housing, disaster assistance, insurance, small business assistance, and the U.S. financial systems. At GAO, she also led evaluations of duplication, overlap and fragmentation in federal government programs. Shamiah enjoys volunteering and has served in leadership roles for various non-profit organizations such as the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, 100 Black Women and Making a Future Defined by Excellence and Thought Incorporated. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Kerney attended Clark Atlanta University, where she earned a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and a master’s in public administration, concentrating in community and economic development. 

Aaron M. Moore, Deputy Director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, most recently served as Assistant Budget Director for the Bureau of Budget and Management Research in the Baltimore City Department of Finance. In this role, Moore led a team of analysts to conduct financial oversight of the City’s $3.87 billion budget and advised senior management and elected leaders on critical fiscal issues. Moore also administered the City’s Innovation Fund and financial response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, including the FEMA public assistance reimbursement process and $103.6 million in aid from the CARES Act. Prior to joining the City of Baltimore, Moore served as alumni manager for Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Baltimore. He has also held positions at the Greater Baltimore Committee, Democratic National Committee, Office of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, and various consulting firms. Moore earned both his bachelor and master’s degrees in political science from Villanova University.

Elizabeth Tatum, Project Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, was a manager in strategy and analytics at Deloitte Consulting, LLP. There, she led cross-functional teams to design and deliver work for civil government clients. Prior to Deloitte, Tatum served as Senior Policy Manager at the Baltimore City Department of Social Services, where she led multiple initiatives to expand access to mission-critical data, diagnose and solve problems using analytics, modernize operations, and drive results for large, federally-funded child welfare and public assistance programs. During her career, Elizabeth has spent time in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She is passionate about public service, racial equity, and data for good. Elizabeth earned a master’s in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor of science in English education from Taylor University in Indiana. 

The leadership team will officially begin their work on July 12, 2021. The remaining members of the 10-person office will be identified in the coming weeks. Funding for the Office of Recovery Programs was included in Baltimore’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget. 

For more information about Baltimore City’s ARPA dollars, visit arp.baltimorecity.gov