Professional Development
Power Moves / How I Got Here

Power Moves: Mayor Scott’s chief of staff is moving to Johns Hopkins

Plus, promotions at Response Labs, Planit’s new director and a longtime leader’s new school board post.

Baltimore City Hall. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us: baltimore@technical.ly.


Michael Huber takes government experience from City Hall to Johns Hopkins

Chief of Staff Michael Huber is leaving Mayor Brandon Scott’s office at the end of the month to become director of Maryland state government affairs for Johns Hopkins University and its famous hospital system. .

The attorney has spent seven years working with City Hall. He’ll take experience working with two City Councilpresidents, as well as managing the development and execution of the city’s legislative and policy agendas on a state and federal level, to this leadership position in Johns Hopkins’ Office of Government and Community Affairs.

Huber’s month-long notice before leaving, and the search for a new chief of staff, stands in sharp contrast to the recent departure and immediate replacement of Baltimore’s broadband and digital equity director Jason Hardebeck last month.

“It has been a privilege to serve Mayor Scott and play a role in helping implement his vision to reimagine Baltimore,” Huber said in a statement. “The City of Baltimore is poised for great things under Mayor Scott’s leadership and although it will be in a new capacity, I look forward to continuing to work to see Baltimore reach its fullest potential.”

Mayor Scott shared a similar sentiment in his own remarks.

“Michael has been a critical member of my staff both in the legislative branch and now the executive branch, helping us to implement a solid foundation for this Administration during the uncertainties of a pandemic,” Mayor Scott said in the aforementioned statement.

Andrew Coy appointed to open school board seat

Andrew Coy. (Courtesy photo)

According to another announcement from the Mayor’s Office this week, Mayor Scott has appointed Digital Harbor Foundation Executive Director Andrew Coy to a seat on the City’s Board of School Commissioners. The former educator and civic technologist will fill a seat occupied by Morgan State University instructor Michelle Bondima, whose term a statement said had expired in June 2021.

Coy served as a tech integration specialist for Baltimore City Public Schools and a senior advisor to then-President Barack Obama’s tech- and innovation-focused team prior to leading the Digital Harbor Foundation.

“As a parent, community member, and nonprofit executive, I know that schools sit at the very heart of our community and our neighborhoods,” Coy said in a statement. “I believe that our students are not only the future but the present, and I am committed to serving in a way that unlocks their potential and creates pathways to opportunities now.”

Coy’s appointment comes ahead of what the Mayor’s Office’s statement described as “a new selection process to fill remaining vacancies,” which will start in September. His appointment also addresses a requirement that the Mayor’s Office said is mandated by the Maryland Code, which requires at least four of the commission’s voting members to have served in upper management “of a large business, nonprofit or governmental entity.”

“[Coy] brings a breadth of experience to this role, and I’m positive he will leverage this knowledge to put our young people in the best position possible to achieve their dreams and achieve their full potential,” Mayor Scott said in the statement.

Response Labs finds new leadership in-house

Response Lab promotions

(L to R) Stephen York, Toni Weaver and Christopher Kayser. (Courtesy photos and composite image)

Brewers Hill-based digital marketing agency Response Labs recently promoted three employees to leadership positions. Stephen York is its new director of marketing technology, while Toni Weaver was elevated to associate account director and Christopher Kayser is now a senior solutions architect.

Each new company leader earned high praise from executives detailing the work that led to these new roles.

“Stephen not only architects rich marketing solutions, but he also has an uncanny knack for explaining highly technical concepts in a simple way that even non-technical team members can follow,” cofounder and Chief Technology Officer Brian Langston said in a statement.

Langston praised Kayser’s ability solve client problems and implement Salesforce marketing solutions. Jen Aldinger, a firm partner and director of client service, had similar praise for Weaver.

“Toni’s strategic mind, nose for good creative, and detail-oriented eye for execution take the teams’ output to a higher level,” Aldinger said in a statement. “She truly delivers on brand and revenue-driving results for her clients, earning our clients’ and our team’s trust.”

Planit is making movies

Federal Hill-based ad agency Planit has hired Amy Hammond Long as director of Planit Productions, the company’s multimedia production arm.

Long brings almost 20 years of industry experience running her own production company, See Spot Productions, to the company. She’ll be in charge of all aspects of multimedia production at the ad agency. From casting to shooting and storyboard development, Long will have a hand in it all.

“There’s an undeniable thrill in this new journey and my joining Planit,” Long said in a statement. “Breathing life into a project from that initial concept, storyboard or script to watching it take flight, and all along finding ways to identify new means of engagement, entertainment and inspiration for viewers through media is what I love most.”

Donte Kirby is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.
Companies: Planit / Johns Hopkins University / City of Baltimore

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