03/22/2022
Meet Roger McKnight
In 1991, Mr. McKnight retired from active duty in the United States Air Force. He served 21 years, including service during the Vietnam Era and Desert Storm, and was awarded numerous commendations and military honors for meritorious service. He was competitively selected for a special assignment to the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he served from 1979 to 1983. In 1989 he won the Air Force Artist of the Year Award. Mr. McKnight’s last tour of duty before retirement was with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. This assignment provided leadership experience, law enforcement knowledge, and the insight and confidence to bring to the job as a commissioner.
Mr. McKnight spent 15 Years as a Franchise Sign Company Owner in Prince George’s County. As a small business owner with 7 employees, he manufactured small and large sign contracts using his complete understanding of Architectural Drawings/ Computer-Aided Design and Drafting Systems. He also has had experience in Federal and State Contract Acquisitioning processes. After selling his company, Mr. McKnight spent 10 years in the Federal Government Printing Office. His position was in the Major Acquisitions Department. Duties included writing and awarding multi-Million-dollar printing contracts to Large Printing Plants.
Upon his retirement, Mr. McKnight did volunteer work for about 2 years. He is a Trustee of the family Historical Church Groce’s Chapel on Cherry Lane, Goldsboro, Maryland. Mr. McKnight is an active member and Former 2nd Vice Commander of American Legion Post 29, Denton MD. He is also a member of the Local Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council of Caroline County. He presently holds a position appointed by Governor Hogan as a member of the Caroline County Property Tax Assessment Appeals Board.
In 2018 Mr. McKnight was asked to join the team at the Caroline County Health Department, because of a new exciting pilot program in Collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This program was the only one in the nation that would be concentrating on rural America, and the commitment to engage in Medical Assisted Treatment for our OPIOID epidemic. This program has made significant strides in improving the help to our local clients who are battling this OPIOID health crisis.
Mr. McKnight is the Administrator of the Mobile Treatment Program. His team has been so successful with this pilot, that Caroline County Maryland has been recognize nationally in numerous medical journals, including The Journal of the American Medical Association. Due to the accomplishments of this program, the State of Maryland has awarded the Caroline County Health Department with additional funding to acquire a new additional Mobile Van. Mr. McKnight was tasked with writing the proposal and negotiating the purchase through the State of Maryland bid process, and the project awarded to the Vendor. Caroline County will now have a state-of-the-art Mobile Treatment Vehicle arriving in August 2022.
Mr. McKnight has been a resident of Caroline County since third grade, continuing a legacy of his Great Grandfather who was born in Caroline County in 1870 and was a sharecropper and fruit farmer in this county his whole life. Mr. McKnight is a 1970 graduate of North Caroline High School Vocational Center in the Drafting career field. He attended Prince George’s Community College and the University of Maryland where he studied addiction counseling. Mr. McKnight currently resides outside of Ridgely, Maryland with his lovely wife Sarena. They have three children and six grandchildren. Mr. McKnight’s hobbies are playing the bass guitar and playing with his musician friends.
Mr. McKnight states, “As a Commissioner, I intend to use my life experiences, demonstrated leadership, and fiscal acumen, to serve Caroline County in all areas of operation, including Education, Construction, Businesses, Farming, Social Services, Judicial, Law Enforcement, and much more. I know I am ready to meet the demands of the Commissioner’s Office.”
