Some personnel news of note came across our desk this week.
The Maryland Department of Information Technology announced that David Bahar has been hired as director of Telecommunications Access of Maryland (TAM).
In this role, Bahar will oversee and the planning, strategic direction, and facilitation of all TAM programs, including Maryland Relay, the free public service that allows people who are unable to use a standard telephone to make and receive calls, and the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications program.
Bahar comes to Maryland from Virginia, where he was most recently the relay manager for the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. He possesses 15 years of experience working in government, legislative and regulatory affairs to advance telecommunications access. His previous roles include director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for Communication Service for the Deaf, where he founded the nonprofit organization’s Office of Public Safety, and vice president of Regulatory Affairs for Convo Communications.
Bahar also spent six years as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill, working to improve communications access for people who are deaf.
Meanwhile, Alexander & Cleaver Professional Association, a government relations firms in Annapolis, promoted two lobbyists from within.
Davion E. Percy, who is entering his fourth year with A&C, will become the firm’s vice president of Government Relations. In his new role, Percy, who led the government relations team through the 2019 legislative session, will oversee the firm’s local and state government relations work, and is charged with strengthening the firm’s presence in the Washington, D.C., region.
Prior to joining A&C, Percy served in Prince George’s County government for 10 years – five years in the executive branch and five years in the office of Councilmember Karen R. Toles (D).
The firm also promoted lobbyist Barbara Zektick to director of Government Relations. In her new role, Zektick will oversee and manage the expansion of its Baltimore City legal and government relations practice, and lead county government lobbying efforts on behalf of A&C’s clients, the firm said.
Zektick joined A&C a year ago from the Maryland Association of Counties.
Josh Kurtz
Founding editor
Founding Editor Josh Kurtz is a veteran chronicler of Maryland politics and government. He began covering the State House in 1995 for The Gazette newspapers, and has been writing about state and local politics ever since. He was an editor at Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, for eight years, and for eight years was the editor of E&E Daily, which covers energy and environmental policy on Capitol Hill. For 6 1/2 years Kurtz wrote a weekly column on state politics for Center Maryland and has written for several other Maryland publications as well. Kurtz regularly gives speeches and appears on TV and radio shows to discuss Maryland politics.
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