Mayor Brandon Scott on Monday announced two leadership changes in his office, naming a new Chief of Staff and a new Interim Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development.
Effective Dec. 1, 2025, current Chief of Staff Calvin Young will become the city’s interim Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development. Deputy Chief of Staff John David “J.D.” Merrill will become the mayor’s Chief of Staff.
Young will fill the position left vacant this year when former Deputy Mayor Justin Williams became the city’s first Director of Permitting and Development Services.
“As Baltimore faces unique and evolving challenges — including renewed economic uncertainty driven by the federal government — these personnel changes will utilize our talent where they’re needed most,” Scott said in a statement.
“I am so thankful to Calvin for his leadership as Chief of Staff. He has guided our team at City Hall with dedication and commitment, overseeing a transparent budget approval process that closed an $85 million deficit, playing a leading role in negotiating the largest nonprofit PILOT agreement in Baltimore’s history, and strengthening our relationships with the business community,” the mayor said. “He brings this dedication, along with an extensive background in business development and capital access strategy, to his new role. As interim Deputy Mayor, he will have a significant impact on Baltimore’s future, at a moment of historic economic opportunity for our city.”
Scott described Merrill as “the ultimate public servant, ready to tackle any challenge or problem with a tenacity that is only rivaled by his ability to bring people together.”
From helping to shape the city’s strategy for reducing the number of vacant houses to taking the lead on establishing the Mayor’s Office of Overdose Response, “J.D. has demonstrated an ability to unlock the highest potential in every part of our administration, while keeping our residents at the forefront of every decision we make,” the mayor said.
Before joining the Mayor’s Office as a Senior Advisor in September 2024, Young co-founded Green Street Impact Partners, a private equity firm providing growth capital to companies in the education technology and future of work sectors. He also previously worked at Camden Partners and Harbor Bankshares Corporation. Throughout his career he has led more than $145 million in investments and financings.
Young currently serves on the board of Green Street Academy; Chesapeake Shakespeare Company; Live Baltimore and West North Avenue Development Authority, and he chairs the board of East Baltimore Development, Inc. He also serves on the Business Advisory Committee for the Comptroller of Maryland, and he co-chaired the Greater Baltimore Committee’s 10-Year Regional Strategy Steering Committee.
Young began his career as an engineer in aircraft health management at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. He has earned an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School, a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from New York University, and his high school diploma from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.
Merrill returned to the Deputy Chief of Staff role after serving as interim Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health, and Human Services between May 2024 and July 2025. He initially joined the Scott administration as Deputy Chief of Staff in July 2023.
As interim Deputy Mayor, Merrill helped launch Baltimore’s first office of Overdose Response, Overdose Cabinet, and OverdoseStat, reimagined YouthStat, helped coordinate the Mayor’s summer youth engagement strategy, shaped programming at late-night recreation centers, and worked to expand middle school athletics.
As Deputy Chief of Staff, Merrill has supported core functions within the Mayor’s Office, including the Mayor’s Communications, Correspondence and Constituent Services, Government Relations, Community Affairs, and Scheduling teams. He has also led special projects to advance the mayor’s agenda and served as the mayor’s designee at the Unified Command’s Incident Command Post following the Key Bridge collapse.
Before joining City Hall, Merrill spent 10 years working with Baltimore City Public Schools as a teacher, district administrator, school administrator, and consultant. He earned his M.S. degree from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education, his B.A. degree from Davidson College, and his high school diploma from Baltimore City College.
