Presidential Medal of Excellence Recipient

Major Riddick Jr.

Major Riddick Jr. is a distinguished public servant and a successful entrepreneur, who made history as the nation’s first African-American to serve as chief of staff to the Maryland governor.

Riddick has enjoyed an extraordinary public service career marked by a series of firsts, serving for more than 25 years in leadership roles with Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland. He was the first African-American appointed to serve as chief administrative officer for Prince George’s County, the highest professional position in county government, after having served the county as budget analyst, executive director of the Housing Authority, director of housing and community development, and director of the Office of Budget and Management.

In 1995, he became the first African-American to serve as chief of staff for the Maryland governor and the only African-American chief of staff to any governor in the country at the time. Riddick also served as Maryland’s first chief of technology, helping to lay the groundwork for the state’s digital transformation.

In 2019, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks appointed him to serve again as chief administrative officer.

Riddick has held several volunteer leadership positions that demonstrate his commitment to community service. He has served as president of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and was a board member for the Airport Minority Advisory Council.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Tech. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Executive Leadership Training Program.