🏛️ Jacob R. Day
Maryland Secretary of Housing & Community Development
Jacob R. Day is a decorated veteran, urban strategist, and public servant currently serving as Maryland’s Secretary of Housing and Community Development under Governor Wes Moore. Appointed in January 2023, Day leads the state’s housing finance agency, overseeing more than $2.5 billion annually in investments to revitalize communities and address Maryland’s housing shortage.
🪖 Military Service & Global Deployment
A Major in the U.S. Army, Day is assigned to the Special Operations Detachment–NATO within the Maryland Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He deployed to Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya as part of the Global War on Terrorism, serving as Special Technical Operations Chief for Combined Joint Task Force–Horn of Africa. His dual role as a civilian mayor and active-duty officer during the COVID-19 crisis earned national recognition for his leadership under pressure.
🏙️ Mayor of Salisbury
Before joining the Moore administration, Day served two terms as Mayor of Salisbury (2015–2023), following his tenure as City Council President. His mayoralty was marked by:
- A 175% increase in housing stock
- A 30% rise in manufacturing jobs
- A decline in crime rates every year since 2017
- Nearly $650 million in new downtown construction
- Launch of Housing First, the first such program in a small U.S. city.
He also spearheaded the “Here is Home” initiative to build a tiny home village for the homeless and hosted the National Folk Festival, transforming Salisbury into a cultural hub.
🎓 Education & Thought Leadership
Day holds degrees from:
- University of Maryland (B.S. in Architecture)
- Carnegie Mellon University (M.A. in Urban Design)
- Oxford University (M.S. in Environmental Policy, with distinction).
He previously served as President of the Maryland Municipal League, Editor-in-Chief of CRIT, and Director of the Center for Towns, where he helped design sustainable cities across the Eastern Shore.
