BALTIMORE, MD. (Thursday, June 2, 2022) - Yesterday evening, Mayor Brandon M. Scott swore in Berke Attila as the new Director of the Department of General Services (DGS). DGS delivers cost-effective, high-quality, reliable, and sustainable services by managing quality facilities, ensuring efficient fleet operations, and maintaining exemplary administrative customer service that supports Baltimore City agencies in advancing their goals.

"I am truly excited to welcome Berke Attila back to city government as the new Director of DGS," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "Berke is a proven leader, data-driven, and committed to the mission of DGS. Making this critical appointment advances our Action Plan pillar for Responsible Stewardship of City Resources, as Berke specializes in optimizing limited resources to improve organizational performance. We are proud to have him on board."

Attila’s appointment fills the position left behind by former Director Chichi Nyagah-Nash, now Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.

"Baltimore City is extremely fortunate to have Berke returning in this new capacity," said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Chichi Nyagah-Nash. "Having worked very closely with him in the past, I know his passion for process improvement and his ability to think creatively and strategically when faced with budgetary and operational challenges. Due to his vast depth of knowledge about DGS's operations, I am extremely confident that DGS will thrive under Berke's vision and strong leadership."

Attila earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 2001 in Materials Science and Engineering from Yildiz Technical University in his native Turkey and a Master of Business Administration in Operations Management in 2004 from the University of Baltimore. Before accepting the role as DGS Director, in 2019, Berke was appointed as the Montgomery County Director of the Office of Human Resources. During his tenure, he guided the County through the COVID-19 by leading internal communications and developing governmental policies, partnering with essential stakeholders to set guidelines for County personnel and ensure seamless operations. Before that appointment, he served five years as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Baltimore City DGS. In 2019, before leaving city government, Attila led the gainsharing initiative for DGS, which received the National Association of Counties (NACo) Best in Category award and yielded $950K in cost savings, $450K of which was shared with employees. Before that, Attila served as the Deputy CFO for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works for a year. Prior to that, he served as a Budget and Management Analyst in the Department of Finance for the City of Baltimore.

Since 2016, Attila has served as Vice President of the non-profit organization, the Chesapeake Language Project (CLP). The mission of CLP is to increase educational opportunities for immigrant students in Maryland.