Jennifer Jones has over 20 years of business and leadership experience in the private and public sectors.
As Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, Jennifer is responsible for being a catalyst for economic growth, supporting existing businesses, targeting new businesses, and working with stakeholders to set the vision and direction for Howard County that positions it as a regional, national, and international business location.
In her years in the public sector, she has been an integral part of the Howard County business ecosystem, directly assisting and helping thousands of Howard County businesses who have grown to know and trust her. As a former Deputy Chief of Staff in Howard County Government, she worked collaboratively with the Howard County Economic Development Authority, the Chamber, and others, to devise millions of dollars in grant programs that ultimately helped thousands of businesses survive and thrive through the pandemic.
She also led in accelerating opportunities through the pandemic. Leveraging federal funds, she quickly produced a strategy and executed new public and private partnerships so that Howard County was the first in the state to stand up county testing sites and mobile vaccination.
Previously, Jennifer served as Vice President, Business Development at Live Nation, where she was responsible for business analysis and market expansion. She also worked with various other Fortune 500 companies, notably Sony and Universal Studios on international business development, and as a Manager at Ernst and Young, LLP, assisting middle market companies with their corporate finance needs.
A Howard County native and graduate of Wilde Lake High School, she holds a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University.
Since 2004, Jennifer Sager has served as the County’s Legislative Coordinator. On behalf of County Administration, Sager analyzes and prepares legislation submitted to the County Council by the County Executive. As part of County Administration, Sager has extensive experience in the legislative process and has been involved in many legislative initiatives such as the General Plan, Comprehensive Rezoning, Building/Fire Codes, Budget legislation, and Pay and Classification Plan legislation. Sager is also involved in the drafting of all the County’s Executive Orders, including Executive Orders issued in response to states of emergency like natural disasters and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining the Office of County Administration in 2004, Sager worked for the law office of Knight, Manzi, Nussbaum and La Placa, formerly located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland where she assisted with the representation of the firm’s municipal clients.
Sager earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is a Howard County native and graduate of Centennial High School. She currently lives with her family in Howard County and is active in the PTAs at the schools of her children.
Gary W. Kuc became County Solicitor for Howard County Government in July 2015. Mr. Kuc joined the County in May 2009 from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, where he served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division, handling complex civil matters for the State of Maryland. He previously practiced complex civil litigation with private firms in the Baltimore area for a decade. Mr. Kuc has almost 30 years of experience practicing law in Maryland, with two-thirds of his experience in the public sector. He serves as Vice President of the Attorneys Affiliate of the Maryland Association of Counties. Mr. Kuc has a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
