Otis Rolley, a Baltimore City government veteran who ran for mayor in 2011, has been selected to lead the Baltimore Development Corporation.
Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Friday that Rolley has been appointed to serve as president and CEO of the quasi-public economic development agency effective June 23. He will be the first African American to head the agency.
Rolley, 50, will succeed Colin Tarbert, who has been BDC’s CEO since 2019 and this week was named to lead the Downtown Investment Authority in Jacksonville, Florida. Tarbert disclosed in February that he would be stepping down as head of the BDC. Friday is his last day as head of the agency.
“Otis Rolley brings experience in economic development here in Baltimore City and nationwide to this role, but most importantly, he brings a real love for our city,” Scott said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better person to champion Baltimore’s renaissance, attract domestic and global investments, and create opportunities for residents in every neighborhood. I’m especially proud that Otis will be the first Black man to lead BDC at such a transformative moment for our city and our economy.”
“Otis Rolley brings the unparalleled combination of deep Baltimore roots and a far-reaching national perspective, which made him the unanimous choice to lead BDC into its next chapter,” said BDC chair Augie Chiasera, in a statement. “As a committed Baltimore resident who innately understands our neighborhoods and has forged influential networks across the country, Otis is uniquely equipped to drive transformative growth and accelerate the city’s economic resurgence”
“Otis Rolley exemplifies the forward-thinking leadership that modern economic development demands,” said Nathan Ohle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), in a statement. “His experience across philanthropy, government, and community development will help build a powerful foundation for the city’s next chapter. This historic appointment reflects the importance of diverse perspectives in creating truly inclusive economies.”
Youngest city planning director
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Rolley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University and a Master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2000, when Rolley was in his mid-20s, then-Mayor Martin O’Malley appointed him to be assistant commissioner of operations for Baltimore’s Department of Housing and Community Development, and he was promoted to deputy housing commissioner a month later.
In 2001, when HCD was combined with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) under commissioner Paul Graziano, Rolley was appointed to be the first deputy commissioner for both HCD and HABC. In 2003 O’Malley named Rolley to lead Baltimore’s Planning Department, making him, at 29, the youngest director of a large city planning department in the United States. After O’Malley become governor in 2006, his successor, Shiela Dixon, named Rolley to co-direct her transition team and later to serve as her chief of staff.
After 10 months as Dixon’s chief of staff, Rolley joined the non-profit sector to serve as the founding president and CEO of the Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, an advocacy organization created to improve transit and transportation options for people in Central Maryland.
He ran for Mayor of Baltimore in the 2011 Democratic primary but lost to Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. One of his chief criticisms of former mayoral administrations was that they maintained an economic development policy that aimed primarily to attract large-scale projects to the city’s downtown business district.
Rolley most recently served as a Social Impact Advisor for David Steward at Kingdom Capital in St. Louis, Mo. He was the first African American to head the Wells Fargo Foundation, directing $300 million in annual philanthropic investments across 17 nations. His career also includes senior leadership roles at The Rockefeller Foundation, where he led the U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, and as president and CEO of Invest Newark, where he managed a multi-billion-dollar development pipeline.
‘This is your city’
In May of 2024, Rolley was the moderator of a well-attended two-hour forum about the future of Harborplace, entitled “Inner Harbor 2024: A City Planning Conversation.” Organized by the Urban Design Committee of the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects, it drew more than 200 people to the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel – one of the largest public discussions sparked by MCB Real Estate’s $500 million plan to replace the existing Harborplace pavilions at Pratt and Light streets with a mixed-use development.
Rolley told the audience that the AIA’s goal was not so much to tell people how to fight a specific developer’s plan but to figure out ways to work with developers and elected officials to arrive at a positive outcome.
“Principally, the AIA was hoping to talk about…not necessarily the battles but really to give you all the information that you need as relates to going to battle, right, and to figure out what you need in terms of additional resources so that you could understand how to move from adversarial to creative [thinking] about how we could be collaborative in our approach,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Rolley encouraged audience members to learn more about Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and its redevelopment potential, with a message that reflects his thinking about city planning and development.
“This is your city,” he said. “You decide how it can and should be shaped.”
Rolley serves on the Board of Directors of the Stonewall Community Foundation, which raises money and funds projects that support the LGBTQ+ community. He’s also on the Board of Governors for the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the advisory board for Black Girls Vote. He has three children, Nia, Noah, and Grace, and lives in Baltimore’s Otterbein neighborhood with his partner, Jason Cooper.
“Pathways to prosperity’
The BDC was created from the merger of two quasi-public agencies, the Baltimore Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO) and Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management Inc. (CC-IH).
BDC’s mission is to grow the city’s economy in an inclusive manner by retaining, expanding, and attracting businesses and promoting investment, dynamic neighborhoods, and a high quality of life. It leads the city’s efforts to spur downtown development in Baltimore. Leaders of its predecessor organizations have included Walter Sondheim Jr. and Martin Millspaugh at CC-IH and Bernard Berkowitz and David Gillece at BEDCO.
In 1991, CC-IH was tainted with impropriety when then-Mayor Kurt Schmoke asked for the resignation of president Albert M. Copp. The mayor had evidence that Copp was spending time in his Baltimore office making phone calls to Europe related to a wine business he had. This was before cell phone usage was common. Copp died in 2017.
Honora Freeman, who followed Copp, had one of the shortest stints as president. She was an attorney with no background in planning or economic development. She was chosen because she was loyal to the mayor and his advisors, but she had little support from Baltimore’s business community. She was succeeded by M. Jay Brodie, a former city housing commissioner.
Rolley points to his experience in both city planning and economic development, and his familiarity with Baltimore.
“Baltimore has always been home to me, even when my career took me across the country,” Rolley said in a statement included in the mayor’s announcement. “I’m honored to bring home lessons learned from my work to advance economic mobility nationwide. After deploying over a billion dollars of impact, I’m eager to leverage my knowledge and networks for the city that shaped me. Together, we will ensure that Baltimore’s economic renaissance reaches every corner of our city, creating pathways to prosperity for all residents.”
