Dennis F. Rasmussen (born June 14, 1947) is an American politician from the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state. Baltimore County partly surrounds but does not include the independent city ...

Executive, a Delegate within the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

and a Senator within the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2006 Maryland U.S. Senate election.

Education

Rasmussen graduated from Kenwood High School in

Essex, Maryland Essex is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Essex history dates back to 1909. The population was 40,505 in the 2020 ...

. He attended Essex Community College but obtained a bachelor's degree in economics from Loyola College in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland, in 1970.

Career

Rasmussen was established and later served as President of The Rasmussen Group, a political lobbying group. His career includes political office experience, entrepreneurial experience in lobbying, association management, banking, and marketing services, and directorships on various boards of major corporate entities and community nonprofits. He developed and operated several businesses in the fields of information development, alternative energy and real estate. As a lobbyist, Rasmussen has worked at local, state and federal government levels. Additionally, Rasmussen is a Principal in consulting firms such as Chesapeake Renewable Energy, LLC, Chesapeake Ventures, LLC, and Rasmussen/Swanzey Strategic Partners, LLC.

Politics

Before his advocacy career, Rasmussen was chairman of the Maryland Senate Finance Committee and a state senator from 1978 to 1986. Rasmussen held various key positions, ranging from Majority Whip, Chairman of the Joint Budget and Audit Committee to Chairman of the Finance Committee. Rasmussen served a single term as Baltimore County Executive between 1986 and 1990. Two decades later, he ran unsuccessfully for the junior Maryland seat in the 2006 U.S. Senate election.

Charity

Rasmussen serves on numerous boards, including the Chairman of the Board of Visitors at

Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its foundin ...

, where he is also an adjunct professor teaching public policy courses. Rasmussen also serves as a current member of: Board of Trustees at the Franklin Square Hospital Center; Board of Trustees for the Franklin Square Hospital Center Foundation; Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Port Discovery Children's Museum, and Current Board Member of the Arc of Baltimore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Dennis F. 1947 births Living people Baltimore County executives Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Loyola University Maryland alumni Politicians from Baltimore County, Maryland People from Essex, Maryland 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly