Ortt Appointed Director of the Maryland Geological Survey

September 5, 2013 - (reprinted from DNR press release)

Governor Martin O’Malley today appointed Richard Allen Ortt, Jr. Director of the Maryland Geological Survey. An extremely well-respected member of the Geologic, Hydrologic and Chesapeake Bay scientific community, Ortt has been with the Survey since 1992, most recently serving as acting director since the retirement of former director Jeffrey Halka this past June.

“Rich has already demonstrated his ability to manage the complex issues that come under the purview of the Maryland Geological Survey,” said Governor O’Malley. “We look forward to his continued leadership and guidance as he assists the agency in furthering its knowledge of Maryland’s physical environment to address concerns and allow for more informed decision-making.”

During his tenure, Rich has worked on a diverse set of geologic engineering issues including those related to sediment erosion, transport, deposition and accumulation in reservoirs and shipping channels. He advanced the use of remote sensing and unattended monitoring devices to collect data for both management activities and scientific study, and directed the acquisition, installation and maintenance of Maryland’s only seismograph for monitoring earthquakes.

Rich holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife Janine live in Harford County with their four children Sarah, Madeleine, James and Christopher.