Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and the County Council have appointed Tricia Swanson, former government affairs director at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland, as the county’s director of strategic partnerships.
The role is aimed at fostering and improving communication between the executive branch and the council, as well as outside political entities. Swanson started serving in the role on May 28.
The role was vacated by Ken Hartman-Espada after he was appointed to the role of assistant chief administrative officer in March.
“Before we send something over, [Swanson] will do meetings with councilmembers, help explain what we’re doing and do some external work,” Elrich said in a press briefing Wednesday. “She’ll be helping us with some issues with state legislatures and do a variety of things that help us communicate with the outside world, other political entities that we pretty much deal with.”
MoCo360 was not able to immediately obtain Swanson’s salary from county staff. In 2021, Hartman-Espada was paid $171,648 for the same role.
Swanson worked for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield for more than three years in a position focused on lobbying the Maryland state government. Among her previous roles, she served as the vice president of government relations for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and as a legislative aide for Montgomery County Public Schools.
“She lobbied for the chamber here in Montgomery County. She’s lobbied for health care at the state level … . She’s highly regarded,” Elrich said. “She’s considered effective … she quickly came to the top of the list.”
In a May 6 interview before the council, Swanson said she has a passion for communication, learning and policy that she believes will aid her in the role.
“I like to make sure that we are working on and passing policies that have everybody at the table giving their perspective, and the best policies are ones that every voice is heard on,” Swanson said. “I’ve prided myself on being a convener and on being responsive.”
