Elizabeth M. Hewlett
Partner

Elizabeth M. Hewlett is the newest principal in the law firm of Shipley, Horne & Hewlett, P.A. Her practice involves representing clients in myriad land use, zoning and administrative law matters, as well as advising and navigating clients through various State and Prince George’s County legislative and regulatory matters. Ms. Hewlett’s clients include large and small businesses, as well as private individuals and citizen groups.

In 2006, Ms. Hewlett completed her historic term as the longest serving Chairman of the Prince George’s County Planning Board and Chair of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), the first African-American and first woman to hold these positions. As full-time Chair, Ms. Hewlett presided over weekly public and quasi-judicial hearings on a variety of land use matters, and headed a nationally recognized planning agency, combined with a national award-winning park and recreation department, a unionized police force, 1,200 employees and an operating budget of $180 million. Ms. Hewlett guided the agency in its land-use planning, parks and recreation programs and policies for a County serving more than 862,000 residents. Prior to her appointment as Chair, Ms. Hewlett’s experience included Associate General Counsel to M-NCPPC, Staff Counsel to the Legal Aid Bureau, private practice, the Prince George’s County Attorney’s Office and the Prince George’s County Council legislative staff.

With nearly 3 decades of combined public and private sector experience, including 2 decades as a veteran public servant and 11 years creating regional policy on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, Ms. Hewlett has a keen understanding of State, County, M-NCPPC and other governmental and administrative bodies in the metropolitan region, and possesses tremendous skills in assisting clients through the regulatory labyrinth of the various bodies.

In recognition of her vast experience, in 2007, Ms. Hewlett was appointed by the Governor to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors, where she recently completed her term as Chairman and continues to serve, advocating myriad transit issues, most notably, transit-oriented development.

Ms. Hewlett’s extensive civic service reflects the strength of her leadership and commitment. An active participant in her community, she holds membership in several professional, civic, and social organizations, including the National Bar Association (lifetime member), National Forum for Black Public Administrators, The American Planning Association, Maryland State Bar Association, the MSBA Judicial Selection Committee, Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Prince George’s County Bar Association, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association (President, two terms), Lifetime Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation, Leadership Greater Washington (Class of 1991), and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., a Public Service Sorority. She has also served on many community and regional boards, including Capital Hospice, the Bowie Health Center, Metropolitan Access, Hospice of Prince George’s County, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington and Greater D.C. Cares. She remains active in her community and is often called upon as a featured speaker on many issues, a motivational speaker for students and youth and has participated as a speaker or panelist in several State and local continuing legal education programs on land use law.