Member Profile

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Rod Barnes, currently serves as the Town Administrator for Edmonston, Maryland. Edmonston is a small community of 1,545 residents in the Washington DC metro region. Rod holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Benedictine College in Business Administration. He has a Master of Public Administration from Kansas State University. Barnes began his career in local government service with the City of Leavenworth, Kansas. He has served as purchasing agent, finance director, city clerk and as a City Manager over his 40 years of experience in local government in four communities. While serving in local government roles, he has developed historic preservation projects that include a comprehensive downtown façade improvement program and a $6 Million fund drive to restore an Opera House built in 1898 to a fully functioning performing arts center. He has extensive experience working on trail development and expanding park greenspace in the communities he has served. In the six years he has been at Edmonston, he has focused on the town’s environmental efforts. He has expertise in the development of green streets that include the components of rain gardens, having created 23 rain gardens in Edmonston. He was instrumental in getting a demonstration project for permeable gutter in the Town. Other sustainable environment projects he has been involved with include the use of solar energy for heating Town Hall, the use of electric cars for Code Enforcement and Public Works. Rod was instrumental in the development of a community garden and a community fruit tree orchard in Edmonston. He has led the America in Bloom effort in two communities. In Edmonston, his efforts with the Edmonston Green Team resulted in winning the AIB environmental criteria award in 2015 and again in 2017, the Community Involvement criteria award and helping Edmonston to become a Circle of Champion community. The Town has been named a certified Sustainable Maryland community twice under Rod’s leadership. They have received the Prince George’s County Beautification Award 5 years running for Veteran’s Park. Rod grew up on the farm in Kansas. He and his husband, Ed enjoy their condo at Orange Beach, Alabama and their cabin in Lost River, West Virginia. When they are not spending time at the beach or the mountains, they love to travel, garden and spend time with their children, Erin, Tyler, and Sarah Alston. They have two grandchildren Korben Danger and Ripley Scout that are special.