Office of the County Executive
The Office of the County Executive is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of County government and includes the Chief Administrative Officer, the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief Administrative Officers, and several internal divisions.
Chief Administrative Officer
Pursuant to the County Charter, the Chief Administrative Officer is appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. The Chief Administrative Officer exercises general supervision over the operations of executive branch departments and agencies, including performance management and accountability. The Chief Administrative Officer is assisted by several Deputy Chief Administrative Officers who manage assigned clusters of executive agencies and serve as liaisons to external government partners and other related organizations.
Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff is appointed by the County Executive and manages the internal divisions that develop and carry out the County Executive's policy goals. The Chief of Staff also manages intergovernmental relations with the Maryland General Assembly, the County Council, and municipal governments within the County. Additionally, the Chief of Staff oversees communications, coordination of appointments to boards and commissions, strategic partnerships, and outreach to community stakeholders and constituents.
Organizational Chart
This chart provides an overview of the Executive Branch leadership and organizational structure.
Tara H. Jackson
Chief Administrative Officer
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In December 2020, Tara H. Jackson assumed the role of Acting Chief Administrative Officer of Prince George’s County. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Government Operations, having joined the County Executive’s leadership team in December 2018.
In the early years of her legal career, Tara served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Prince George’s County Office of the State’s Attorney. She then spent several years in private practice, representing clients in both civil and criminal matters. Tara re-joined the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2010 and served as Principal Deputy State’s Attorney until 2017. In this role, she oversaw the day-to-day operations and administration of the office while litigating major criminal cases.
In 2017, Tara transitioned to the County’s Office of Law, serving as Deputy County Attorney for Government Operations. As part of the office’s leadership team, she provided advice and counsel to the County Executive, Senior Executive Staff, and department and agency leadership.
Tara earned a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law, and a Master of Divinity in Leadership Development from the Phoenix Seminary. She is a member of First Baptist Church of Upper Marlboro and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation Schools and serves on the Character Committee of the Fourth Appellate Judicial Circuit.
Joy A. Russell
Chief of Staff
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Joy A. Russell is a senior-level executive with over 20 years of local government affairs, stakeholder engagement, and management experience, directing major government, corporate, and non-profit strategies and initiatives.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Russell founded Jonathan Arnold Consulting in 2014 to work with clients with strategic advisory and stakeholder management needs.
Before establishing Jonathan Arnold Consulting, Ms. Russell was the SVP for Community Impact at the United Way of the National Capital Area where she led an annual social investment strategy of approximately 2.5 million dollars.
Before joining United Way, Ms. Russell was Vice President for External Relations at the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC), where she played a key role in re-positioning the economic development organization with both government and business audiences.
Ms. Russell began her political career in Washington DC's Mayor Anthony Williams' Administration. She was the Mayor's Deputy Chief of Staff for Community Affairs, where she was responsible for the management of stakeholder and constituency relationships in the promotion of the Mayor's strategic goals and priorities.
Ms. Russell holds a law degree from the University of Maryland and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Public Administration from James Madison University.
Sanmi Areola, Ph.D.
Deputy CAO | Health, Human Services & Education
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Sanmi Areola, Ph.D. is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Health, Human Services, and Education with Prince George’s County, Maryland. Until recently, he was the Director of the Department of Health and Environment, Johnson County, Kansas where he led the response to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on residents of the county. Before that, he served as the Interim Director of Health and the Deputy Director for the Metro Public Health Department, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sanmi is a public health generalist who has been involved in aspects of Health in All Policies (HiAP), Health Equity, social determinants of health, public health risk assessments, air toxics assessments, vehicle emissions, air pollution, indoor air quality, pest management, insecticides used in mosquito control, community water fluoridation and concerns about household chemicals.
He is passionate about community involvement in every aspect of public health decision-making, investigations, and interventions, and the need to incorporate principles of Health in All Policies (HiAP). He is the former Director of the Bureau of Environmental Public Health and a past president of the African Society for Toxicological Sciences (ASTS), which organizes scientific conferences on environmental health and toxicological issues impacting the African continent around the world and has partnered with major international agencies to address global health issues. He spearheaded the formation of the Toxicologists of African Origin (TAO) Special Interest Group as part of the US Society of Toxicology. TAO focuses on addressing issues impacting communities here in the US and Africa.
Dr. Areola taught Environmental Health and Industrial Hygiene classes at Meharry Medical College for several years, conducts public health community engagement activities, and has been featured in several media addressing public health issues of concern in the community. He has served as an expert witness on public health issues before elected officials and in local courts.
He received his B.S. degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in 1988 and his Ph.D. in environmental toxicology from Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, USA in 1998. He was a postdoctoral fellow with the Neuroscience Division, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas from 1998 to 2002.
Floyd E. Holt
Deputy CAO | Government Infrastructure, Technology & Environment
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Floyd E. Holt currently serves as a Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) on the Prince George’s County Executive’s leadership team where he is responsible for overseeing Government Infrastructure, Technology, and the Environment, including management of the Department of Public Works and Transportation, The Department of the Environment, the Office of Information Technology, and liaison/oversight of the Board of Elections, Liquor Board, District of Columbia Water Authority, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the County’s public utilities. As a government management leader with strong strategic planning, finance, and contract administration expertise, Floyd assists the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in managing the day-to-day operation of the County government and coordinating efforts among its agencies.
Floyd E. Holt is a graduate of the Aspen Institute’s Government Executives Leadership Institute, possessing an MBA in Management and a BS in Public Administration. With extensive experience in high-performing municipal governments, Floyd has a demonstrated track record of success in completing large, politically sensitive projects, and creating productive relationships between government and constituents. Utilizing strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to manage cross-functional units and implement continuous improvement methodologies across both private sector and government agency initiatives, Floyd is also knowledgeable of financial investment instruments; adept at creating capital and operating lease-financing solutions for commercial clientele.
Jared M. McCarthy
Deputy CAO | Government Operations
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Jared M. McCarthy is the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Government Operations for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Jared has spent all but one year of his career working in Prince George’s County and has been a public servant in the County since 2007.
Born in Derby, Connecticut, Jared relocated to Fallston, Maryland, and attended Fallston High School and Salisbury State University, graduating cum laude. After completing his undergraduate studies, he attended the University of Baltimore School of Law and graduated cum laude prior to clerking for the Honorable Dennis M. Sweeney on the Circuit Court for Howard County.
Jared began his career as an attorney in private practice with Bacon, Thornton & Palmer. In 2007, he joined the General Counsel’s Office of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Jared ultimately rose to Chief of the Litigation and Employment Law unit, supervising several attorneys and reporting directly to the General Counsel and Commission leadership.
In 2012, Jared joined the Prince George’s County Office of Law as Deputy County Attorney of Government Operations. In February 2017, he was appointed to the position of Acting County Attorney and was confirmed as County Attorney by a unanimous vote of the County Council in June 2017. In November 2018, Governor Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr., announced Jared’s appointment to the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, and, on January 11, 2019, Jared was sworn in as an Associate Judge. His judicial commission ended on December 4, 2020, and, on December 7, 2020, he joined the Alsobrooks Administration as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.
Jared is a resident of Prince George’s County, living on a small horse farm with his partner Anna, a retired police officer.
Angie Rodgers
Deputy CAO | Economic Development
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Angie Rodgers serves as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) for Economic Development in the Prince George's County (MD) Office of the County Executive. She is committed to improving how we plan, design, finance, build, and support communities that can deliver the same opportunities and benefits to people of all backgrounds, and can specifically move low-income households toward areas of opportunity rather than away from them.
Angie has spent 17 years working in affordable housing, community, and economic development across multiple sectors to advance this goal. She has provided real estate development, finance, policy, research, and advocacy services to organizations throughout the DC metropolitan region and beyond. Finally, Angie has over a decade of experience with mixed-finance transactions, directly managing development projects, and underwriting public gap finance requests while overseeing the District of Columbia government’s participation in large-scale, multi-phase mixed-income and mixed-use developments.
Barry Stanton
Deputy CAO | Public Safety & Homeland Security
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Mr. Barry L. Stanton has served in the Office of County Executive for Prince George’s County for two administrations including his most recent appointment in 2021 as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety and Homeland Security. Under the leadership of County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, Stanton is responsible for oversight of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Fire/EMS Department, Department of Corrections, the Office of Homeland Security, and other public safety areas as assigned. Mr. Stanton has worked in the public safety management and organizational development for over 43 years.
A resident of Prince George’s County for over 25 years, Stanton was named the Director of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections in 1997. During his 10-year tenure with the Department of Corrections, Stanton’s responsibilities included the oversight of a 65 million dollar budget, management of a $30 million capital construction program, and strategic and organizational planning.
In 2010, Mr. Stanton was appointed County Manager for Frederick County, becoming the first African American to hold that position. During his tenure, Mr. Stanton created Frederick County’s first Office of Sustainability and directed the creation and implementation of the county’s strategic plan while simultaneously serving as Acting Director of the Division of Fire & Rescue.
Before his re-appointment in 2021, Stanton was also named the Chief Operating Officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and served in that capacity for more than three years. During his tenure with PGCPS Stanton oversaw food services, security, transportation, building maintenance, custodial services, school boundaries, purchasing, and capital programs.
Stanton's strong core values of trust, honesty, accountability, respect, and humility have propelled him in his professional career – however, his top priority is his family. His partner in crime and the love of his life for 43 years is his wife. He has one daughter, a son-in-law, and two granddaughters, who are the joys of his life.