The Montgomery County Council approved County Executive Marc Elrich's nominations of Scott Bruton to lead the County's Department of 
Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) and Ben Stevenson to lead the County's Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DOCR).
Dr. Bruton originally came to the county six months ago. He served as deputy director and acting director of DHCA before being confirmed on June 27, 2023. Dr. Bruton brings a lot of real-world experience to his new role as director. He spent the last seven years working for the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development in Washington, D.C., where he was senior vice president for housing policy, research, and development.
He was able to advocate for increases of nearly $2 billion dollars in local funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs over a six-year period ending in 2022. Dr. Bruton also led the D.C. Preservation Network, working with tenants, government agency representatives, housing developers, and lawyers to help mediate issues and preserve the affordability of more than 39,000 units of publicly assisted housing. He is also a former university instructor, spending eight years of his career at Rutgers University.
"I am pleased Scott is leading our DHCA team," said County Executive Elrich. "I believe his past success analyzing complex situations as a principal investigator and author supporting affordable-housing-related research and his track record of bringing together developers, tenant advocates and government leaders lays the groundwork for the kind of retooled approach we need for affordable housing in Montgomery County. Scott already has begun and will continue his work at DHCA to help us preserve, protect and produce more affordable housing."
Mr. Stevenson has 27 years of experience in Montgomery County's DOCR. He has been the County's acting director since the retirement of Angela Talley. He helped guide the jail and reentry program through challenges presented by COVID-19 while overseeing Community Corrections and Medical and Behavioral Services. He previously served as the division chief of Community Corrections, overseeing operations of the Pre-Release Center, Pre-Trial Assessment and Supervision Unit, and the Alternative
Community Service's diversion programs.
Since 2005, Mr. Stevenson has worked as an adjunct associate professor with the University of Maryland's Global Campus' Criminal Justice Department, teaching correctional administration courses. He also serves as an auditor with the American Correctional Association and is the past president of the Maryland Criminal Justice Association.
"Knowing we can rely on the institutional knowledge of someone like Ben puts DOCR in a wonderful position," said County Executive Elrich. "Ben's work during COVID-19 across so many divisions in the department gives me the confidence that he can handle this new leadership role and help our staff grow and develop. We always are looking for ways to better manage our services, and Ben's leadership will help us do that."
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