Per Montgomery County: Rabbiah Sabbakhan has been named the new director of the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services (DPS). County Executive Marc Elrich appointed Sabbakhan on Jan. 10, and the County Council confirmed the nomination today.
“Since becoming County Executive, making improvements in our permitting processes has been a key priority of my administration,” said County Executive Elrich. “Having an effective, and consumer friendly, permitting department is critical to our economic development efforts. We have made great progress at DPS but still have more work to do. I am excited for Director Sabbakhan to get to work. He is passionate about providing excellent customer service, creating consistencies in how permitting services are delivered while ensuring proper oversight and safety of building processes. I appreciate the County Council for approving this appointment and look forward to the progress Director Sabbakhan will make at DPS.”
Before joining DPS, Sabbakhan was the chief building official for the City of Rockville. He has worked in several roles for the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) at the government of the District of Columbia, including permitting chief, chief building official, senior advisor for building and compliance. He also served as interim director of the DCRA, where he started its paperless permitting movement with the implementation of ProjectDox and started its Green Building Program.
Earlier in his career, he worked for the City of Richmond, overseeing construction of several major economic development projects through completion and occupancy. He has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia.