The Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) today selected Clark Mercer, former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Virginia, as the organization’s next Executive Director. He will succeed Chuck Bean, who is concluding his 10-year tenure as the organization’s chief executive in February 2023. Mercer plans to join COG in mid-January to ensure a smooth transition.
Board members believe Mercer’s leadership and administrative skills, collaborative approach to problem solving, and familiarity with a wide range of policy issues make him an ideal choice to lead COG, the association of 24 local governments in metropolitan Washington and one of the nation’s most prominent regional planning organizations. COG also staffs the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, which is responsible for conducting the federally mandated transportation planning process and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of federal transportation funds that area jurisdictions receive.
“Clark Mercer possesses all of the attributes that you could ask for to be a successful leader in our complex, tri-state region,” said COG Board Chair and Arlington County Board Vice Chair Christian Dorsey. “His background has prepared him to lead an organization that has a diverse portfolio and that aims to be a model for regional collaboration in priority areas like transportation and mobility, the environment, housing and land use planning, human services, and public safety. He has also demonstrated an aptitude for motivating and managing large, diverse, and talented teams that can deliver impressive results.”
As Chief of Staff to Ralph Northam during his terms as Virginia Lieutenant Governor, and then Governor, Mercer was entrusted with overseeing several major initiatives requiring close coordination with local, state, and federal officials and private sector partners. These initiatives included the successful effort to attract Amazon HQ2 to Virginia, approve a $4 billion deal for a new Long Bridge across the Potomac River, and secure dedicated funding for Metro in partnership with counterparts in the District of Columbia and Maryland. He also worked with the state legislature to pass the Virginia Clean Economy Act—which puts Virginia on a path to be carbon neutral by 2050—and led the Northam Administration’s offshore wind energy efforts.
Mercer has experience coordinating responses to emergencies, such as leading the state’s effort to increase COVID vaccinations and helping expedite public safety support to the District of Columbia during the January 6 insurrection. He was also responsible for hiring the most diverse Cabinet and senior leadership team in the state’s history, including more than 300 staff members.
“It’s an honor to be named executive director of such a trusted and influential organization that connects and supports leaders from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia,” Mercer said. “A lot of great progress has been made in this region in recent years, but there’s still a lot more to do to create the inclusive growth and sustainable future that we all want to achieve. I can’t wait to get started on this work with COG’s highly skilled staff and forward-looking members.”
As Executive Director, Mercer will support the COG Board of Directors and its policy committees, oversee COG’s 125-person staff and $41 million budget, and represent COG before a variety of government, business, and other stakeholder organizations. Dorsey said the board is confident that Mercer’s experience bringing leaders together, finding common ground, and brokering agreements will help area officials advance their shared equity, transportation, housing, and climate goals in COG’s Region United planning framework. The framework consists of COG’s 2030 regional housing targets, 2030 regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal, and equity and transit planning concepts to inform growth and investment decisions.
Following the announcement, area leaders and organizations welcomed Mercer with warm wishes for his new role and excitement for future collaboration.
Mercer is currently President of Fall Line Consulting, which provides strategic advice and business development services, primarily to companies in the clean energy sector. Born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Mercer received a Master of Public Policy degree from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University.
The COG Board conducted a nationwide search for the position and selected Mercer from a pool of dozens of highly qualified applicants.
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Clark Mercer, chief of staff to former Va. governor, to lead Council of Governments (Washington Post)
Clark Mercer, COG's incoming director, lays out his plans for the influential organization (Washington Business Journal)