Darrell Carrington

Carrington and Associates LLC
Partner and Cannabis Lead

J. Darrell Carrington has over 35 years of experience working with every level of government, non- profits and the private sector. Mr. Carrington has lobbied in Annapolis, Maryland for the past 15 years, representing a wide array of clients, including professional sports teams, civil rights groups, energy companies and utilities.

He has a successful track record for his clients in Annapolis and throughout Maryland. Mr. Carrington established his firm, Carrington & Associates, LLC in 2006. Mr. Carrington formerly worked in the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office under the Honorable Glenn F. Ivey, serving as the Prisoner Re-entry Coordinator.

He was responsible for assisting men and women returning to Prince George’s County from incarceration to find housing and employment and overall, to reduce the rate of recidivism. Working with a myriad of Federal, State and County Agencies, the Re-entry Program established a continuum of care & “One-Stop Shop” for ex-offenders and their families.

Mr. Carrington is also the former Director for the Office of Energy and Food Programs for Prince George’s County. In his capacity as Director, he ran highly visible and successful outreach initiatives. Most notable among these are the Prince George’s County Utility Assistance Expos. The Expos started in 2002 attracting over 400 residents and during his tenure grew to an attendance over 1,400 residents. In February 2003, Prince George’s County initiated the first ever Hispanic Utility Expo to encourage participation from underserved populations in the County.

Mr. Carrington was also responsible for the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), recognized in 2006 by the USDA for being among the 4 best programs in the United States. The SFSP required extensive planning, preparation and coalition building. Mr. Carrington brought together the Maryland National Park and Planning (MNCPPC), Prince George’s County Board of Education Food and Nutrition Service, Apartment Complexes, Vacation Bible Schools and Community-Based Programs.

Mr. Carrington also served as The Emergency Food and Assistance Program Coordinator for Prince George’s County, routinely distributing over 2 million pounds of food annually to area soup kitchens/pantries and partnering with the Faith-Based Community. Lastly, Mr. Carrington has served on several statewide committees, including State Nutrition Assistance Program Allocation Committee, Maryland Emergency Food Assistance Program Allocation Committee, the Office of Home Energy Programs Advisory Board and the Office of Home Energy Programs Statewide Outreach Committee for the State Department of Human Resources.

Mr. Carrington came to the State of Maryland from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where he spent over 10 years developing and funding programs for at-risk youth and low-income populations. He has extensive experience in grant writing and program operations of many kinds. He has successfully obtained funding of social and charitable programs from every level of government, non-profits and the private sector in excess of $30 million. Among his many honors from the University is the President’s Award for Excellence in Administration, considered by many to be a lifetime achievement award. Mr. Carrington was the youngest person to receive this prestigious award.

Mr. Carrington was privileged to work closely with the Maryland General Assembly to assist in re- writing the Maryland Medical Cannabis Program in 2014, and continued to work closely on the proposed Regulations with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission (MMCC). Mr. Carrington was an important voice in helping to shape the regulations that govern the Maryland Program. Finally, Mr. Carrington also helped found and presently serves as the Executive Director of the Maryland Cannabis Industry Association (MDCIA). MDCIA is a membership organization representing those interested in participating in Maryland’s emerging medical cannabis market. MDCIA serves as a chamber of commerce for the Maryland Cannabis Industry.

Mr. Carrington is probably proudest of his work on behalf of Marriage Equality in Maryland and throughout our great nation. During his 6 years of intensive lobbying on the issues, he served as the statewide spokesman in Maryland as it became the first state to pass Marriage Equality legislatively and by referendum. The United States Supreme Court took up the issue and made it the law of the Land.

In his spare time, Mr. Carrington is an avid golfer, (if not a very good one), and has volunteered with several county-based organizations, including the Take Charge Juvenile Diversion Program, where he has served as Board Chair for more than a decade.