Our History

Tri County Council for Western Maryland, Inc (TCCWMD) is a regional council serving the Appalachian counties of Maryland: Garrett, Allegany, and Washington Counties. We have been around since 1972, bringing local leaders together to address the challenges that broadly face Western Maryland. Together, we have served as a partner to direct federal and state funding to the region to improve infrastructure, communities, and economic opportunities.

What we do today is in direct service to local governments, non-profits, and the small business community. Tri County Council for Western Maryland is a designated development district of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA). As part of our relationship with these federal agencies, we prepare annual Community and Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) to make certain that federal grant dollars are spent in accordance with regional priorities identified through the planning process.

We help local governments, non-profits and educational institutions access federal funds through Maryland’s ARC grant process and assist with EDA grant applications. We support small business development through loans from our Revolving Loan Funds, where we offer more flexible lending than traditional banks to encourage business growth in the region. We show up at meetings and participate in various organizations to provide context and make connections within the region.

Our organizational structure affords us more flexibility to support programs and projects in Western Maryland; we strive to be involved and support our partners. We seek to increase economic opportunities in Western Maryland each day. Have an idea? Give us a call!

Tri County Council Board

The Board for Tri County Council is comprised of 26 members representing the three counties of Western Maryland. The membership is largely made up of elected officials but also includes an economic development professional and two private citizens from each county appointed by their respective County Commissioners.

The Board meets three times per year to conduct business and receive updates from the staff and regional partners of Tri County Council. Executive Committee meetings are held on an as-needed basis for administrative matters of the Council.

Executive Committee

David Caporale, Allegany County Commissioner
Paul Edwards, Garrett County Commissioner
Jeff Cline, Washington County Commissioner

Staff

Elizabeth Stahlman

Executive Director

elizabeth@tccwmd.org

Guy Winterberg

Assistant Director

guy@tccwmd.org

Elaine Jones

Finance Director

ejones@tccwmd.org

Chris Funk

Business Development Loan Officer

cfunk@tccwmd.org

Christie Wakefield

Business Development Analyst

cwakefield@tccwmd.org

Ryan Davis

Business & Program Planner

rdavis@tccwmd.org

Amy Jacobs

Economic Development Planner

ajacobs@tccwmd.org