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Mike Rogers’ life is one of dedication to family and service to our country and Maryland.
Raised in a military family, Mike joined the “family business,” following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who served in World War II, and his stepfather. He spent 29 years in the world's greatest army, the United States Army, defending our democracy and values across four continents and in 32 countries before retiring as a highly decorated Colonel in 2015.
For 29 years, Mike Rogers served as a consensus builder and leader in the US Army Medical Service Corps with combat deployments in hot spots like Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. As a senior officer, he oversaw major healthcare administration and medical logistics across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East to help ensure that our soldiers had access to quality healthcare while serving our country.
Elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2018, Mike Rogers made history as the first African American man and first veteran to chair his delegation. As a member of the Economic Matters Committee, Mike has gained a reputation as a bipartisan leader and has sponsored or co-sponsored over 80 pieces of legislation supporting a higher minimum wage, improved benefits for veterans, women’s reproductive rights, and tax breaks for seniors on a fixed income. He sponsored the "Keep Our Heroes Home Act", which provided tax relief for military pensions, providing economic relief for veterans while enabling more veterans to call Maryland home after retirement. Mike gets it! He gets retirees on a fixed income and the everyday struggle of a union worker trying to pay a utility bill. He gets it because he's lived it!
During Mike’s early years, his family struggled financially and often had to rely on America’s social safety net to make ends meet. As the oldest of four siblings, Mike started working odd jobs at the age of nine to help ease the financial burden. He values work and fairness and has never forgotten his humble beginnings. During the pandemic, as a member of the Unemployment Insurance Subcommittee, he helped lead the fight to protect thousands of workers unfairly impacted by layoffs throughout Maryland. He helped them gain emergency economic benefits during the pandemic. He even helped organize dozens of food drives and supply distributions for many of these same families throughout the district. Mike never stops serving and supporting those who need help the most.
Colonel Mike is active throughout our community where he has served as a coach for the Severn Pop Warner Youth Football League; as President of the PTSA for Ft. Meade High School; as an officer for his homeowner's association; as a member of American Legion Posts in Severn and Annapolis; as a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; and as a regional board member for the 350,000 - member Military Officers Association of America.
Mike graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and received his ROTC commission as a second lieutenant from Duke University. He and his wife Tonya live in Laurel and are the parents of three children and two grandpups named Maui and Koa.
In his free time, Colonel Mike enjoys hiking, traveling, biking, and teaching financial literacy to families to help close the wealth gap.