The Howard County
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F O C U S
VOL.4, NO.10
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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County
A couple of city leaders, literally PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION
By Rebekah Sewell After 10 years of marriage, Milton Matthews and his wife Barbara are once again scheduling mid-week date-nights. Otherwise, they tend to see each other only on weekends: Barbara lives in Rockville, Md., and Milton lives in Columbia. The reason for their two households is not personal but business. They both live where they do because their jobs require it. Milton was recently named president and CEO of the Columbia Association, a position for which he must live within city limits. Just last year, Matthews stepped down after nine years as CEO of the Reston Association in Virginia because Barbara became city manager of Rockville, and she also was required to live where she worked. At the time, they both moved from Virginia to Maryland. Becoming president of Columbia Association was unexpected. “It was not on my radar,” Milton said. “When this came up, I talked to Barbara. We knew there would be a residency requirement, but she said, ‘if your desire is there, go for it.’” Milton, 60, had been a finalist for the position of CEO of the Columbia Association five years ago, before he was named CEO of the Reston Association. But the position here opened up again this spring. Like Reston, Va., Columbia is a planned community. Both were designed and built by developers whose vision included a town center around which neighborhood “villages” were built, all with a view to creating a high quality of life for residents. The Columbia Association (CA) is the nonprofit association that manages the community. It is funded through assessments of Columbia’s residential property owners as well as fees collected from its large array of recreational facilities throughout the area. Its annual budget exceeds $60 million. On its board sit representatives of Columbia’s 10 self-contained community associations. In addition to supporting the village association with part of its revenues, the CA maintains 3,500 acres of public spaces and owns and operates numerous community facilities, including an art center, fitness clubs, 23 swimming pools, and various sporting arenas, including an ice rink and
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ARTS & STYLE
Milton Matthews, the former CEO of the Reston (Va.) Association, recently became president and CEO of the Columbia Association, the planned community’s nonprofit community association. The organization has a budget exceeding $60 million, and manages Columbia’s public spaces, recreational facilities and more.
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horse center. It also offers many programs, including lakefront concerts, summer camps and volunteer opportunities to enhance the quality of life for its residents.
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Getting into governance Milton Matthews grew up on Virginia’s eastern shore, in a small town called Temperanceville. He originally didn’t think he would work in local government. “I thought I wanted to be in the military,” he said. Matthews was raised by his great grandparents and was the oldest child in a large family. He was always an athlete, and has remained a sports lover ever since. “In high school, I played football, basketball and baseball. Then I got to college, and I ran
track because I was told, ‘You aren’t big enough to play football,’” he laughed. Matthews discovered his career calling during his senior year at Virginia Union University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in government and history. “I had an adjunct professor whose day job was city manager of Richmond, Va.,” he said. “He brought [to students] the practical aspect of local government. I was impressed by his everyday responsibilities and how each day was so different,” Matthews said. He went on to earn his master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University. He also spent a year in law school at Ohio State, but ultimately left See MATTHEWS, page 14
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