About the Ehrlichs
The Honorable Bob Ehrlich
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. was raised in the working class suburb of Arbutus just outside Baltimore. Bob rose through the state legislature and the U.S. Congress to become Maryland’s first Republican Governor in 36 years in 2002. He is currently a member at the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC in Baltimore.
With 20 years of executive and policy-making experience, Bob is a trusted advisor to the business community on local, state and federal affairs. Having served as Governor, U.S. Congressman, state legislator, and civil litigator, he counsels clients on an array of government matters, with particular expertise in health care, finance, and economic development.
Bob’s tenure as governor led to broad improvements in Maryland’s quality of life, including:
Balanced budgets and a stronger economy: Bob improved Maryland’s fiscal condition by turning $4 billion in inherited budget deficits into $2.3 billion in surpluses. His pro-growth economic policies helped create 100,000 new private sector jobs and he defeated a record $7.5 billion in taxes proposed by the Maryland General Assembly. He is an advocate for Maryland’s world-class technology economy, enacting policies that positioned Maryland as a national leader in education, biotechnology, health care, and minority business advancement.
Schools that work: Maryland students enjoyed significant increases in reading and math scores throughout his tenure. He made record investments in public schools and authored Maryland’s first public charter schools law, enabling more than 6,000 students to attend 30 new public charter schools. He doubled funding for need-based college scholarships, helping college enrollment reach an all-time high.
Restoring the Chesapeake Bay: Bob authored the historic Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act to restore America’s largest estuary. The Act rebuilds outdated wastewater treatment plants, thereby reducing wastewater pollution in the Bay by nearly half. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation called it, “the most important environmental achievement in twenty years.” He also enacted comprehensive brownfields reform to revitalize and redevelop Maryland’s polluted industrial sites.
Bob earned national commendation for empowering individuals with disabilities. He created the nation’s first cabinet-level Department of Disabilities, for which he earned the “Highest Recognition Award” from the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, among other awards.
Prior to serving as Governor, Bob won four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, he served as a member of the House Majority Whip team, wherein he helped pass comprehensive tax relief, greater access to health care, federal education reform, and the first balanced budget in a generation.
He also served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1986 to 1994, representing Baltimore County. He served on the House Judiciary Committee and was instrumental in shaping state policy on tort reform, juvenile justice, and child abuse and neglect.
Prior to running for public office, Ehrlich was associated with the Baltimore law firm of Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver, where he practiced civil litigation for eleven years. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Politics from Princeton University in 1979, where he captained the freshman and varsity football teams, and his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University in 1982, where he worked his way through school as a Graduate Assistant under coaches John Mackovich and Al Groh.
Bob has been named “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Business, “Legislator of the Year” by the Maryland States’ Attorneys Association, “Federal Official of the Year” by the National Industries of the Blind, “Man of the Year” by the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, and “Governor of the Year” by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Bob serves on numerous boards, including Dunbar Armored, the Maryland Public Policy Institute, the Mentoring Partnership, and Thanks USA. In 2003, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. He is also a Special Advisor to the Board at Bay National Bank.
Bob is married to Kendel Sibiski Ehrlich, Esq., a former public defender and prosecutor. Kendel sits on the board of Bank Annapolis and is active in a variety of local charities, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Hospice of the Chesapeake. The Ehrlichs have two sons, Drew (9) and Joshua (4), and live in Annapolis, Md.
Kendel Ehrlich
Kendel Sibiski Ehrlich, Esq. served with distinction as Maryland’s First Lady from 2003 to 2007. She presently is a member of the Board of Directors for Bank Annapolis and stars with her husband on the highly successful “Kendel and Bob Show” on WBAL Radio 1090 AM in Baltimore. She is active with a variety of Maryland-based charities and is the proud mother of two young boys, Drew (9) and Josh (4).
Throughout her career in private practice and public service, Kendel has focused on substance-abuse prevention, particularly among adolescents, as the primary threat to the well-being of thousands of Maryland families. Kendel’s professional understanding of the problems associated with substance abuse and its impact on domestic violence and child abuse stems from her experience as a former county prosecutor and public defender.
Kendel is past Chair of the Maryland Teen Advisory Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Use, partnering with children and adults to shed light on the dangers of substance abuse among children, and to find proactive ways to combat this epidemic in Maryland’s schools and communities.
Kendel believes education is a priority. She meet frequently with students, teachers and parents in an effort to promote family literacy. She is an advocate for building young leaders within the community and teaching children to overcome peer pressure. Kendel is leading an effort to open the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, which will honor the state’s female figures and unsung heroines.
Kendel is a past Board Char of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland. She is active with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s Race for the Cure initiative, and several statewide hospice organizations. She also served as Honorary Chair of the Maryland Safe Kids Coalition, which promotes booster seat safety.
A Maryland native, Kendel graduated from Dulaney High School and from the University of Delaware where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. After receiving her juris doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law, Kendel served five years as a public defender in Anne Arundel County and four years as a prosecutor in Harford County’s juvenile court system.
The Ehrlichs were married in July 1993. They currently reside in Annapolis.
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