March 10, 2010

Deputy Mayor Andrew Frank to join Daniels team for Baltimore

Andrew Frank, deputy mayor of Baltimore for economic and neighborhood development, will join The Johns Hopkins University on May 7 to become special adviser to the president on economic development initiatives.

Frank will assist President Ronald J. Daniels in projects strengthening ties with partners and organizations across the city and contributing to neighborhood revitalization. He will be involved particularly in the East Baltimore Development Initiative and the related East Baltimore Community School, two projects in which Johns Hopkins is a key collaborator with government and nonprofit entities.

“Johns Hopkins is committed to Baltimore’s future; the university’s involvement with the city and its neighborhoods is one of the most important priorities of my presidency,” Daniels said. “Having someone on my team as skilled and knowledgeable as Andy will sharpen our focus and enable me to do a better job. I’m delighted that he has agreed to join us.”

Frank’s new position is complementary to that of Aris Melissaratos, who is special adviser to the president for enterprise development. Melissaratos focuses on building the university’s relationships with business and strengthening ties between the research and corporate communities.

As deputy mayor, Frank’s responsibilities have included oversight of a wide range of city departments and offices, including the Department of Housing and Community Development; the Office of Employment Development; the Planning, Public Works and Transportation departments; and the Baltimore Development Corp.

Before moving to City Hall, he was executive vice president of the BDC for six years, involved in attracting and retaining businesses, redevelopment, commercial revitalization, and urban design and planning, among other issues. He also served as Inner Harbor coordinator, supervising implementation of the 2003 Inner Harbor Master Plan, chairing the intra-agency Inner Harbor Task Force and managing the $5 million renovation of the West Shore Park.