Robert Embry, is President of the Abell Foundation. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Robert served as a clerk to the Honorable Judge Simon E. Sobeloff, Chief Judge of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1977, Robert became Assistant Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development for Community Planning and Development, and also served as Executive Director of the President’s Task Force on Urban Policy. Robert is the recipient of a number of state and national awards, including being named by Time Magazine as one of the 50 outstanding young national leaders. Robert has also served as the President of the Maryland State Board of Education, and is a Founding Board Member of 1000 Friends of Maryland, a coalition of businesses, community and environmental groups dedicated to preserving what is best about Maryland and encouraging sensible growth. Robert currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.