DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

SECRETARIES

FORMER SECRETARIES

[photo, C. Ronald Franks, Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources] C. RONALD FRANKS,
Secretary of Natural Resources, 2003-07
Acting Secretary of Natural Resources, 2003

Secretary of Natural Resources, March 7, 2003 to January 17, 2007. Acting Secretary of Natural Resources, January 20 to March 7, 2003. Member, Governor's Executive Council, 2003-07; Smart Growth Subcabinet, 2003-07. Chair, Governor's Council on the Chesapeake Bay (Governor's Chesapeake Bay Cabinet), 2003-07; Executive Committee for Dredged Material Management Plans, 2003-07; Rural Legacy Board, 2003-07; Scenic and Wild Rivers Review Board, 2003-07. Member, Governor's Pesticide Council, 2003; Task Force to Study Alternative Living Arrangements for Children in Out-of-Home Placement, 2003-04; Task Force to Study the Economic Development of the Maryland Seafood and Aquaculture Industries, 2003-04; Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State's Water Resources, 2003-04; Task Force to Study the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, 2003-05.

C. Ronald Franks, Secretary of Natural Resources, 2003.

Member, Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Board, 2003-07; Blue Crab Task Force, 2003-07; Chesapeake Bay Commission, 2003-07; Chesapeake Bay Trust, 2003-07; Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays, 2003-07; Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, 2003-07; Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs, 2003-07; Interagency Nutrient Reduction Oversight Committee, 2003-07; Patuxent River Commission, 2003-07; Pesticide Advisory Committee, 2003-07; Potomac River Fisheries Commission, 2003-07; Rural Maryland Council, 2003-07; Seafood Marketing Advisory Committee, 2003-07; State Soil Conservation Committee, 2003-07; Transportation Enhancements Program Executive Committee, 2003-07. Board of Directors, Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation, 2004-07. Member, Bay Restoration Fund Advisory Committee, 2004-07; Task Force on Traffic Capacity Across the Chesapeake Bay, 2005-06; Governor's Commission for Protecting the Chesapeake Bay through Sustainable Forestry, 2005-07; Governor's Intergovernmental Commission for Agriculture, 2006-07. Co-Chair, Baltimore Washington Partners for Forest Stewardship, 2006-07.

Member of House of Delegates, 1991-95, representing District 36 (Queen Anne's, Caroline, Cecil, Kent & Talbot Counties). Member, Ways and Means Committee, 1991, 1993-95 (transportation subcommittee); Judiciary Committee, 1992.

Former member, secretary, president, State Board of Dental Examiners. Member, Governor-elect's Transition Team, 2002-03.

Born in Washington, DC, February 6, 1942. Attended Western Maryland College; University of Maryland College Park; Georgetown University Dental School, D.D.S., cum laude, 1966. Member, Omicron Kappa Upsilon (dental equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa). Served in U.S. Air Force Dental Corps, 1966-69. Dentist. Owner, Winchester Creek Outfitters, a kayaking and fly-fishing business, Grasonville, 2000-08. Chief Examiner, Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners. Former member, National Accrediting Committee for State Dental Programs; Eastern Shore Health Planning Council. Eastern Shore representative, Dental Advisory Council to Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Founder and teacher in Dental Assisting programs at Chesapeake Community College. Former member and officer, PTA; nominated to Anne Arundel County School Board. Member, Advisory Board for Health and Physical Education, Chesapeake Community College. Member, Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce; Maryland Farm Bureau, 1975-; Moose. Clinical Diligence Award for Outstanding Clinician, Omicron Kappa Upsilon. Married; two daughters; three grandchildren.

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