BALTIMORE, MD – Governor Wes Moore has appointed Daniel K. Phillips, a 35-year career public servant, as the Director of the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) following his Interim Director assignment which began in April 2024.
“I am honored to continue leading SDAT into the future and thank Governor Moore for this appointment,” said State Department of Assessments and Taxation Director Phillips. “Since I stepped into the interim director position two months ago, I have been focused on building partnerships across government, supporting our staff, and providing efficient service for SDAT customers statewide. I am excited to continue this work.”
Prior to being named Director, Daniel K. Phillips was designated in 2020 as SDAT’s State Supervisor of Real Property which is the leadership role for the largest division in the agency. Director Phillips was tasked with overseeing the management, operation, and strategic planning of real property assessments for over 2.3 million residential and commercial properties. Director Phillips supervised a team of over 350 employees located in the 24 local assessment offices across Maryland. During the three preceding years, he functioned as the Senior Area Supervisor of Commercial and Industrial Assessments where he guided fair and uniform commercial assessment practices throughout the state. Additionally, Director Phillips has eighteen years of county-level management experience within SDAT where he held the positions of Supervisor of Assessments and Assistant Supervisor of Assessments, both in Wicomico County. In his early career, he worked more than ten years as a residential assessor and later as a commercial assessor learning the fundamentals of the agency before being promoted into management.
Under the direction of Director Phillips, the goals of SDAT are to:
● Promote public trust through open communication and transparent governing
● Foster cooperative and collegial partnerships with local governments
● Deliver first-class services to all citizens and property owners
● Create a highly respected agency touted for its professionalism
● Advance a collaborative workplace utilizing a diverse, quality workforce
