Common Cause Maryland is kicking off the New Year in a big way — with a new Executive Director and an aggressive legislative agenda! My name is Jennifer Bevan-Dangel (or JBD as I am called in Annapolis), and I am excited to take the helm of this critical organization as we gear up for a busy year.

I am a proud Marylander — a graduate of Annapolis High School, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland School of Law. Politics and good government have always been my passion, an interest that is certainly shared by my husband, who teaches middle school social studies and is an avid historian.

I have years of experience lobbying for clean water and land use reforms at the state and local levels, as well as an extensive background in organizational development. I come to Common Cause from 1000 Friends of Maryland, where I served as Deputy Director since 2008. Before that I worked for Patuxent Riverkeeper and Environment Maryland.

I have the know-how and the tenacity to win victories in Annapolis and the experience needed to lead and grow an organization.

My work on environmental and land use issues has shown me that special interests still hold too much power in this state. Common Cause plays a critical role in fighting back against those special interests and ensuring Marylander’s voices are heard.

As we approach the 2014 elections, it is more important than ever that we close loopholes that allow special interests to avoid campaign contribution rules, and ensure that every vote counts. But we aren’t waiting until 2014 to take action! Common Cause Maryland will be pursuing a significant legislative agenda this session. We are making election reform and campaign finance reform our top priorities for 2013.

We will release our full agenda later this month. You can stay on top of the latest updates by liking us on Facebook, following us on Gazouillement, or signing up for our email alerts.

Thank you and I look forward to making this a great year for good government!