Kendel Sibiski Ehrlich (born 1961) is a former First Lady 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 ...

, having served from 2003 to 2007 during the administration of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich. She is the first woman of Polish descent to have been Maryland's First Lady. From 2019 to 2020, she served as the deputy director of the

Office of National Drug Control Policy The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a component of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The director of the ONDCP, colloquially known as the drug czar, heads the office. "Drug czar" was a term first used ...

, and from March 2020 to 2021 as the director of the

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).

Early life

Ehrlich was born in 1961 to parents Walt and Jane Sibiski and raised in

Arbutus ''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islands a ...

and

Lutherville, Maryland Lutherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 6,504. Prior to 2010 the area was part of the Lutherv ...

, respectively southwest and north of the city of Baltimore. She attended Dulaney High School, where she was a co-captain of the

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team, and received a B.A. degree in criminal justice from the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

in 1983 and LL.B. degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1987. She married Robert Ehrlich, then a member of 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 ...

, on July 24, 1993. From 1990 to 1995, Ehrlich was an Assistant

Public Defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Belgium, Hungary and Si ...

Anne Arundel County, Maryland Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, Mar ...

. She also served for four years as a

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with

Harford County, Maryland Harford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Wa ...

. From 1997 to 2007, Ehrlich worked for

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Cable in various capacities, initially as a lawyer, then part-time as a consultant and later a television show producer.

First lady

On October 3, 2003, during her first year as first lady, Mrs. Ehrlich spoke at a

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

function and made the statement, "You know, really, if I had an opportunity to shoot

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

, I think I would." She apologized to Spears, and a spokesperson later said that the incident "inadvertently used a figure of speech." In July 2004, ''Baltimore'' magazine published an article on the Ehrlichs' move into Government House, in which the first lady commented on the adjustment involved for the family, and the changes that were made. Ehrlich joined a

steering committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

in September 2004 on Underage Drinking Research and Prevention, sponsored by the

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, supports and conducts biomedical and Behavioral research, behavioural research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevent ...

. In April 2005, Ehrlich and her husband spoke out against newspapers, particularly ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', as being biased and unfair. ''The Washington Post'' reported in June 2005 that the first lady had played a very active role in decisions such as "appointments and policy initiatives". Asked about her advisory influence in 2003, Ehrlich's response was summarized as its only being on the issue of "loyalty within his administration".

Subsequent activities

After her husband left office, Ehrlich took a job as a director for BankAnnapolis. She and her husband have also hosted a Saturday radio show on WBAL-AM. By mid-2009, rumors began to surface regarding the prospect of Kendel Ehrlich's running for elected office herself. Her husband was defeated by

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American politician who served as the 17th commissioner of the Social Security Administration from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was th ...

in the 2006 and 2010 Maryland gubernatorial races. On March 2, 2015, longtime

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she also served i ...

announced that she would not seek re-election in 2016. Former First Lady Kendel Ehrlich had been mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for the open seat in the 2016 Senate election, though she did not run for the office. In October 2015, Ehrlich was sworn in as an assistant

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, and left the position in 2018. On July 31, 2019,

President Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. ...

announced his intention to appoint Ehrlich to be Deputy Director of the

. On February 28, 2020, Trump announced he would nominate her to lead the DOJ's Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) within the

Office of Justice Programs The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies, including law enforc ...

; she was sworn in as the director on March 16, 2020, and was succeeded by an acting director in early 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrlich, Kendel Sibiski 1961 births Living people First ladies and gentlemen of Maryland Maryland Republicans Women in Maryland politics American politicians of Polish descent University of Delaware alumni University of Baltimore School of Law alumni Lawyers from Baltimore Public defenders 21st-century American women lawyers First Trump administration personnel Office of National Drug Control Policy officials