After 17 years, exec. director of MD Legal Services Corp. resigns

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Dec 16, 2003 by Lawrence Hurley

The Maryland Legal Services Corp. has a new executive director for the first time in 17 years following the resignation of Robert J. Rhudy.

He has been replaced by his long-serving deputy, Susan M. Erlichman, who inherits the challenging task of coordinating the scant resources that fund the state's various legal services organizations, including the Legal Aid Bureau and the House of Ruth.

Erlichman is no stranger to the corporation, having joined as deputy director back in 1988.

She rose to the rank of director of operations in 2000, when she also took over much of the day-to-day running of the organization while Rhudy concentrated on other projects.

Erlichman admitted yesterday that she is fully aware of what to expect in the coming months as legal services compete for state dollars at a time of budget headaches.

There are tremendous challenges that lie ahead, she said. More and more in the last few years, it takes running at breakneck speed to just not fall back.

However, she was optimistic that she will be able to fill Rhudy's shoes with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Rhudy himself, a well-known figure in the legal community, was tight-lipped yesterday on his plans for the future, although Erlichman said he may consider running for some kind of public office.

He said he was proud of his achievements during a period which saw the organization's budget rise from around $1 million to $7 million, and the number of projects funded increase from five to 28.

Most importantly, he added, the number of Marylanders helped each year has risen from around 25,000 to more than 100,000.

Maryland is clearly at the top in the country in terms of what we are trying to do as a community, Rhudy said. I'm proud to have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people.

In addition to her existing duties, Erlichman will assume responsibility for government relations and the implementation of projects aimed at expanding legal representation for the poor, including the Maryland Legal Assistance Network.

F. Vernon Boozer, chairman of the corporation's board of directors, said in a statement that Rhudy's contribution had been invaluable and that he was sorry to see him go.

He added that the board had trust and confidence in Erlichman's abilities.

Prior to joining MLSC, Erlichman was executive director of the Senior Citizen Judicare Project in Philadelphia.

However, she became involved in legal services via a somewhat circuitous root.

Before gaining her law degree from Temple University, she worked in the music business in New York and London in the late 1970s during the peak of the punk explosion.

At one point she helped manage The Stranglers, an English band whose members were notorious for their surly attitudes and provocative lyrics.

In hindsight, she said, that experience honed her administrative and management skills, which are now being put to a slightly different use.