Richard Griffin Receives the 2017 Fort Detrick Alliance Col. Mark L. Hoke Distinguished Service Award

On January 23, 2017, Director of Economic Development for The City of Frederick, Richard G. Griffin, AICP, CEcD, was honored with the Fort Detrick Alliance Col. Mark L. Hoke Distinguished Service Award. 

Griffin has served as Director of Economic Development since 2002.  An urban planner and economic developer with 25 years of experience, he has worked at the city, county, regional, and federal level in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and Washington State.

Griffin is a founding member of the Fort Detrick Alliance, which was created in 2003 by a group of local leaders led by Col. (retired) Mark Hoke and supported by the Maryland Department of Commerce Director of Federal and Military Affairs, Brigadier General Mike Hayes.

Since that time, Griffin has been heavily involved in Alliance leadership, including serving as both President and Vice-President. He and the Board of Directors have worked hard to build strong relationships between the federal and community leaders in support of the missions, jobs, and economic impact of Fort Detrick and the National Cancer Institute-Frederick. 

Over the years, Griffin has assisted and served in a liaison role with the City in supporting federal infrastructure development including new military housing, development of the Central Utility Plant, development of the new state-of-the-art National Biodefense Campus, and the NCI-Frederick, Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF) at Riverside Research Park. Together with Frederick County, Griffin crafted one of the first approved Maryland BRAC Revitalization and Investment Zones for Frederick, which is still in effect. He continues to be very involved in activities regarding tech-transfer and as a moderator at various public meetings regarding federal and state contracting opportunities.

Griffin is a U.S. Army veteran, having enlisted in the early 1980s as a Cavalry Scout (Border Guard) on the East German Border with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Later, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserves and NC Army National Guard.

Griffin holds degrees from Western Carolina University and Clemson University. He serves on the Boards of Directors for the Maryland Economic Development Association (MEDA), Downtown Frederick Partnership, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. (FITCI) and others.

He and his wife Lynne, a Frederick County Public School system Spanish teacher, live with their three boys in the Baker Park neighborhood of Downtown Frederick.