Ann T. Ciekot is a founding partner of Public Policy Partners. Ann has more than 25 years of experience in government relations and public policy work in Maryland. She is widely regarded as a public policy expert on substance use disorder treatment and recovery, social services, and civil rights issues. Over the course of a quarter century, she has worked to carefully nurture relationships with public officials across the political spectrum and state and local agency personnel. Ann also has significant experience in managing and advocating for nonprofit service provider, advocacy and consumer organizations, and she has developed expertise in training people to become advocates for themselves and others.
1) American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
2) Association of Community Services of Howard County
4) Baltimore City Substance Abuse Directorate
5) Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition
6) Bard College
7) Capital Area Immigrants' Rights (CAIR) Coalition
9) Community Development Network of MD
14) KABOOM!
15) Maryland Addictions Directors Council
16) Maryland Association of Area Agencies on Aging
17) Maryland Association of Youth Services Bureaus
18) Maryland State Perfusion Society, Inc.
19) MD Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence
20) Moveable Feast
21) National Association of Social Workers, MD Chapter
22) National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - Maryland Chapter
20+ years
Champion of Recovery by Maryland Recovery Organization Connecting Communities, 2013
Achievement Award BY Maryland Association of Community Services in 2011 for leadership in securing passage of legislation to increase the alcohol tax that provides funding for services to people with developmental disabilities and other health care needs
Innovator of the Year for the Leadership in Disabilities Policy, Daily Record, 2010
Fighting the Opioid Overdose Crisis -- Passage of several pieces of legislation that address the opioid overdose crisis and other addiction treatment and recovery services, including funding for treatment providers, the removal of prior authorizations for certain medication, funding for behavioral health crisis services, guidance on opioid prescribing practices, education requirements in public school systems, and harm reduction measures;
Support for People with Disabilities -- Passage of legislation to provide significant increases to public assistance support to people with disabilities;
Prenatal and Newborn Services -- Passage of legislation establishing the Thrive by Three fund to support services to low income families and newborns;
Workforce Development -- Passage of legislation making changes to the social worker licensing law to promote and support the workforce;
Homelessness Prevention -- Defeat of legislation putting low income tenants at greater risk of unjust evictions; and
Delinquency Prevention -- Protected funding for services to at-risk youth and their families
Ann has relationships with the 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly and their staff, with strong ties to those on the health, judicial and budgetary committees. This includes relationships with staff in the Senate President's and House Speaker's offices. Ann has relationships with many people in the executive branch, including staff in the Governor's office; staff in many of the state agencies, including Health, Human Services, Juvenile Services, Public Safety and Correctional Services, Legislative Services, and Labor, Licensing and Regulation; and staff in many executive bodies, including the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Human Relations Commission, and the Governor's Office for Children.
Ann T. Ciekot is a founding partner of Public Policy Partners. Ann has more than 25 years of experience in government relations and public policy work in Maryland. Ann started in this field working for 10 years in statewide nonprofit advocacy organizations working on policy issues regarding affordable housing, homelessness and eviction prevention, public assistance programs, substance use disorder treatment and recovery, and funding for programs in each of these areas. In 2002, Ann became a founding partner of Binderman and Ciekot, a lobbying firm representing health and social justice issues. Since 2006, Ann has been part of Public Policy Partners, a firm growing in size and scope of work. Ann conducts regular trainings for organizations and both graduate and undergraduate school classes on aspects of Maryland government and how to effectively influence policy makers. Ann is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and is a life-long resident of the state.