Alexandra Hughes

Chief of Staff

Office of Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch

In 2001, Baltimore’s mayor, Martin O’Malley, gave Alexandra Hughes a copy of the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” with this inscription – “Keep moving.”

These have been words to live by for Hughes, who said that focus, energy and loyalty are also critical to success.

“I believe in order to achieve success personally and professionally, you have to constantly push things forward,” Hughes said.

She cites as her proudest professional accomplishment the fact that she is the first woman of color to be chief of staff for a presiding officer in Maryland’s legislature.

“Speaker Busch has worked diligently to put together a diverse leadership team of elected officials, and he has given me an amazing opportunity to support the team,” said Hughes, who earned her law degree in 2009 from the University of Baltimore.

The best part of her work is seeing the impact of the legislature’s actions, from big issues like marriage equality, criminal justice reform, and abolition of the death penalty, to regulatory reform and public park funding, Hughes said.

“My position gives me a unique perspective on the challenges facing urban, rural, and suburban communities,” she said.

Hughes is also on the board of the Community Law Center, “which gives me a front seat view of the challenges many communities face each and every day,” she said. “It is rewarding to see the impact that closing a problem bar or building, or starting an urban garden, can have on communities throughout the city, even in some of the most challenging areas.”