Kathy Klausmeier

Katherine A. Klausmeier (née Nossel; born February 22, 1950) is an American politician who is the 15th and current county executive of Baltimore County, Maryland, serving since 2025. She is the first woman to serve in the position.

Born and raised in Maryland, Klausmeier graduated from the Community College of Baltimore County before working at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center for thirty years and later serving as the president of the Gunpowder Elementary School parent-teacher association. A member of the Democratic Party, Klausmeier served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 8th district from 1995 to 2003. The district covered most of the eastern portion of Baltimore County, including the towns of Parkville and Perry Hall. She then represented the district in the Maryland Senate from 2003 to 2025, including as the president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate from 2019 to 2020. At the time of her resignation in 2025, Klausmeier was the longest-serving member of the Maryland Senate.

Katherine Nossel was born in Baltimore on February 22, 1950, to Jerome Bernard Nossel, a local tavern owner, and Elizabeth (née Stager). She was raised in Perry Hall in northeastern suburban Baltimore County, Maryland. She attended and graduated from the all-girls student body at The Catholic High School of Baltimore and attended the nearby Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), where she received an associate degree in 1971. Klausmeier also attended, but did not graduate from Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

After graduating from CCBC, Klausmeier worked as a child life coordinator at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center for thirty years. She also served as the president of the Gunpowder Elementary School parent-teacher association from 1987 to 1989, and again from 1991 to 1994. Klausmeier first became involved with politics as an election judge in 1990 and 1992. From 1991 to 1992, she served as the education chair of the Baltimore County League of Women Voters. Klausmeier served as the vice president of the Baltimore County Commission for Women from 1991 to 1993, and chaired the task force charged with studying whether to create an elected or appointed school board in Baltimore County in 1993.

Klausmeier was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994, and was sworn in on January 11, 1995. She served as a member of the Environmental Matters Committee during her entire tenure.

Klausmeier was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2002, and was sworn in on January 8, 2003. She has served as a member of the Finance Committee during her entire tenure, and became the committee's vice chair in 2023. From 2019 to 2020, Klausmeier served as the president pro tempore of the Maryland Senate, making her the second woman in Maryland history, after Ida G. Ruben, to hold the position.

In the 2018 Maryland Senate election, Klausmeier was challenged by state delegate Christian Miele, who received the backing of Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Republican Party in their "Drive for Five" campaign. The election was seen as one of the most competitive in the Maryland Senate, as Miele was expected to benefit from having the endorsement of Governor Hogan, who won the district by 37 points in 2014, but Klausmeier was seen as being the slight favorite due to her high name recognition and strong community roots. During the election, Klausmeier shifted toward the center in an attempt to appeal to Republican voters, including photos of her with Hogan in campaign mailers. She defeated Miele in the general election on November 6, 2018, edging out Miele by a margin of 1,061 votes, or 2.3 percent.

In August 2024, after Johnny Olszewski won the Democratic nomination in the 2024 U.S. House of Representatives election in Maryland's 2nd congressional district, Klausmeier expressed interest in serving the remainder of Olszewski's term as Baltimore County Executive. She formally applied to fill the remainder of Olszewski's term as county executive after his victory over Kimberly Klacik in the general election in November 2024. In her campaign for county executive, Klausmeier cited public safety and aggressive driving as her top priorities. On January 7, 2025, the Baltimore County Council voted to elect Klausmeier as its next county executive. She is the first woman to serve as Baltimore County Executive as well as the oldest person to serve as Baltimore County Executive, having been sworn in at 74 years old.