For more than a quarter century, Martin O’Malley has been a devoted public servant and respected chief executive within local, state, and federal government. Recognized at home and abroad for devising and implementing innovations to make government work better for the people it’s intended to serve, he has pursued approaches that reflect openness and transparency, while introducing data-based decision-making to support measurable outcomes for individuals, communities and broader populations. 

As a Mayor of Baltimore, Governor of Maryland and Commissioner of Social Security, he earned an unequaled reputation for transforming large, far-reaching, but underperforming organizations through a combination of collaborative leadership, change communications, and by driving cultures of accountability and continuous performance improvement. 

As Mayor, O’Malley introduced CitiStat, one of the nation’s earliest real-time performance management systems, which helped drive the largest 10-year reduction in crime of any major U.S. city. His leadership earned him recognition from Time magazine as one of America’s top big-city mayors. 

Elected Maryland’s 61st Governor, O’Malley implemented StateStat, expanded the CitiStat model statewide, and oversaw Maryland’s public schools during a period in which they were ranked #1 in the nation for five consecutive years. He also launched BayStat, a coordinated, data-driven effort credited with reversing a centuries-long decline in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 

In 2023, President Biden nominated O’Malley to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Leading a 61,000-person workforce and overseeing more than $1.4 trillion in annual benefits, he focused on operational modernization, improved customer service, and revitalizing agency culture despite longstanding resource constraints. 

O’Malley is the author of “Smarter Government,” which outlines his model for governing effectively in the Information Age and has influenced performance-management practices across federal agencies.