Baltimore County’s inaugural inspector general, Kelly Madigan, is leaving her post in January to become Howard County‘s first inspector general.

The man who will replace her — at least for a while — is her deputy, Steve Quisenberry.

Quisenberry, a former FBI agent and certified inspector general, has been Madigan’s deputy since October 2020, 10 months after she started. Quisenberry also served on the Howard County search committee that chose Madigan from more than 50 applicants, though he recused himself from any discussions concerning his boss.

“I was very mindful that there could be an appearance of a conflict, so anything I could do to minimize it, I did,” Quisenberry said.

Madigan was chosen for the Baltimore County post by then-County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. She completed her four-year term and was serving in a holdover capacity because the current county executive, Kathy Klausmeier, appointed after Olszewski was elected to Congress, declined to reappoint her to the job.

It’s not clear how long Quisenberry will serve as interim acting inspector general. Klausmeier could appoint someone else to the role, subject to County Council confirmation. Or, she could keep Quisenberry in the job until a new county executive takes office in early 2027.

Here are five things to know about the county’s acting interim inspector general.

He made a name for himself in the FBI investigating public corruption.

Quisenberry received a special federal citation in 2008 for his work in investigating the bribery case against former state Sen. Thomas Bromwell. He was also the lead agent in the corruption investigation against former state Sen. Ulysses Currie and the bribery and wire fraud investigations into former state Sen. Nathaniel Oaks and former Del. Cheryl Glenn. He also handled the 2004 investigation into Nathan A. Chapman Jr., a top lieutenant of Gov. Parris Glendening who managed state pension funds and was accused of stealing money from them to prop up his own struggling companies.

He joined the Howard County Inspector General selection board after Madigan made a call on his behalf.

Quisenberry lives in Howard County’s Council District 5, which David Yungmann represents. Each Howard County Council member picked one representative for the inspector general board, chosen from résumés submitted by applicants.

Quisenberry applied to be District 5’s nominee in January. Madigan called Liz Walsh, the council member chairing board appointments, to put in a word for him, though Quisenberry said he did not ask her to do that.

“Kelly either called me or my office and told me, ‘Make sure you take a look at his résumé.’ So, we pretty much poached him from District 5,” Walsh said. “Once it looked like David wasn’t going to pick the guy, I did. He was too good not to be on that team.”

Walsh said she and the other council members stayed out of it.

“I probably should have paid more attention and had him replaced had I known he was recusing himself,” Walsh said.

He is a figure in the lawsuit Madigan filed against a former county official that resulted in the county paying that person $100,000.

In 2021, Madigan met Patrick Murray, who was Olszewski’s chief of staff. Murray told Madigan that some of the questions she was asking in a recent investigation were harming morale, and to wrap up the work quickly. Madigan told Quisenberry about the interaction.

The investigation concerned a tennis barn that developer David Cordish was attempting to build at his home, though Murray has said in court documents he had no idea what it was about. (Cordish is The Banner’s landlord.)

A year later, Quisenberry wrote to Murray: “The [Office of the Inspector General] is currently investigating actions taken by employees during the 2021 time frame while the Office was investigating the Cordish tennis barn. The OIG believes you have information that is relevant to our investigation.”

The information was related to Murray’s breakfast meeting with Madigan.

Quisenberry told Murray’s attorney that Baltimore City Inspector General Isabel Cumming would be handling the investigation because he was a witness. Murray’s attorney said no, because Madigan and Cumming are close friends, and Cumming had publicly criticized Murray’s attempts to rein in Madigan’s investigative powers.

Quisenberry then suggested that Murray or his attorney find a firm that would investigate for free because the county could not pay. Eventually, the County Council approved funds to hire the firm of Karpinski, Cornbrooks & Karp to represent Madigan.

Quisenberry is not an attorney — not a requirement, but a preferred qualification for some on the council.

When Klausmeier passed over Madigan and chose Khadijah Walker as her nominee for inspector general, members of the public and the County Council questioned Walker’s credentials, in part because she did not have a law degree and had not served as an inspector general but was instead a deputy. Both of those descriptions also fit Quisenberry. Most of the inspectors general for Maryland counties and the state are attorneys. When Walker’s nomination failed at the County Council, Madigan stayed on.

No one, including Quisenberry, is sure how long his interim stint will last.

The County Council has spent hours discussing legislation to protect the inspector general from political interference, including through an amendment passed in 2024 to enshrine the office in the county charter and one on the ballot next year to appoint a nonpolitical board that would select future inspectors general. What they did not discuss was a succession plan if Madigan left.

Michael Castrilli, executive director of the Association of Inspectors General, said it’s considered a “routine succession plan” for a deputy to take over on an interim basis. That’s often the procedure in other departments, as well.

Quisenberry said Baltimore County works that way, too.

“Our office has a succession plan, which all county agencies are required to have, and in that succession plan the deputy inspector general, which happens to be me, serves as the acting inspector general,” he said.

But beyond the immediate future, the picture is unclear.

Relations between Madigan’s office and the county executive’s have been frosty. Madigan’s push for a separate attorney to represent her office fed the friction. That attorney sued Murray on the county’s behalf, ultimately resulting in the $100,000 settlement, which is under seal and has never been explained.

It’s unclear whether that relationship would improve under her deputy, who was integral to Madigan’s investigations.

Councilman Izzy Patoka, a Pikesville Democrat, said Quisenberry stepping in short-term to finish ongoing investigations makes sense. He’s uncertain how long the council would want to keep him there, though. Quisenberry makes about $145,000 as deputy inspector general.