Board of Advisors
The Honorable Michael Knapp
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Montgomery County Council
In 2007, he was elected by the Council to serve as the County Council's President. He is the Chair of the Council's Education Committee, and serves on the Public Safety Committee. As the Public Safety Committee's lead Councilmember for Fire and Rescue Services, Knapp steered through legislation to streamline county fire and rescue and continues to push for improved fire and safety equipment. He has also promoted efforts to bring emergency health facilities to the Upcounty where they are critically needed.
Regionally, Knapp is Chairman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and a member of the Transportation Planning Board. In this capacity, Knapp continues to advocate for better mass transit and improved transportation infrastructure throughout Maryland, as well as greater cooperation to achieve our region's mutual needs. A Democrat, Knapp comes to the Council from a distinguished career in public service and in the private sector. A former intern for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, Knapp has a degree in Economics and Government from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After graduation, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves, where spent 10 years in the Reserves as an Engineer and Infantry officer.
From 1990 to 1995, Knapp worked as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, serving as the Senator's key advisor on issues related to health care, social services, and biotechnology, including the Human Genome Project. Knapp focused on increasing awareness and funding for biotechnology and worked with the Senator to ensure that those who suffer from mental illness have access to the same health insurance coverage as those who suffer from other illnesses. Knapp also helped to create the "Character Counts" legislation that has helped Maryland lead the nation in laying a strong foundation for character education in our schools.
After temporarily relocating to New Mexico in 1995 to help start two biotechnology companies, Knapp returned to the area in 1998 to settle in Germantown. He began to work for Dr. J. Craig Venter as Vice President for External Affairs at the Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), developing and expanding programs designed to improve public understanding and awareness of the biotechnology industry. After a year at TIGR, Knapp became one of the founding employees of Celera Genomics, one of the fastest-growing biotech companies in history. He continues to work in the biotechnology sector as a business development consultant.
Knapp currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the BlackRock Center for the Arts, the Dwelling Place, and the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Clubs and is a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. In addition, he is a leader in Germantown HELP, the food bank that serves local families in need. Knapp also is an avid sports fan, a member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club, coaches youth soccer and youth basketball. Knapp and his wife Cassie reside in Germantown with their daughters, Lindsay and Sydney.
Source: Montgomery County website: |