Charles ‘Chuck’ Short, who served the county for more than 50 years, has passed away, announced County Executive Marc Elrich Friday.
Short started his career in government in 1973 as a youth coordinator. Former County Executive Charles Gilchrist appointed him director of the Department of Human Resources. County Executives Sidney Kramer, Neal Potter and Doug Duncan later reappointed him to the position.
During Duncan’s administration, Short helped reorganize four separate departments into a single Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2002, Short retired from county government and became Secretary for Justice and Service for the Archdiocese of Washington, a position he held until 2006.
He returned to county government employment in 2006 to serve as special assistant to County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett.
“He brought a strong commitment to human services and to making sure that our most vulnerable residents had access to the support and resources they needed,” Elrich said in a statement
Short was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, where he taught since 1996 and served as a Fellow at the UMD Institute for Excellence in Government Service.
In his retirement, Short remained involved in Montgomery County government and community organizations in the following years.
“As the father of an adult son with disabilities, Chuck brought a deeply personal understanding to his work and spent his career helping build a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued and included,” Elrichsaid in a statement.
He also served on the boards of several local non-profit organizations, including St. Ann’s Infant Home, The Little Sisters of the Poor Senior Home, the Ivy Mount School, the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Wells/Robertson House, Potomac Community Resources and the Private Non-Profit Village, Inc.
Short was inducted into the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame in 2022.
He lived in Rockville with his wife, Maureen. They had three children.
