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WHO IS
OZ BENGUR? Oz's life story began just outside Washington, DC in Montgomery County, Maryland. Born in 1949, Oz attended elementary school in Montgomery County, Alice Deal Jr. High School and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1967. In high school Oz excelled academically, was co-captain of the basketball team, and achieved recognition through the American Legion Award for Citizenship while serving as President of the Student Council. This set in motion his passion for public-spiritedness which he has consistently pursued through civic activities, public service and private business. In 1968, Oz registered to vote as a democrat and voted in his first election. Following his graduation from Princeton in 1971 where he received his A.B in English, Oz was appointed as Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services in Massachusetts. His accomplishments in working with disadvantaged children lead to his role in helping reform foster care in the Department of Children and Family Services in Illinois. As a result of his outstanding work in Children and Youth Services, Oz was chosen to co-direct a national U.S. Department of Justice funded research project on "Alternatives to Incarceration for Juvenile Offenders" in 1975. Eager to learn more about the Criminal Justice System, he went on to earn a graduate degree in Criminology from University of Cambridge in England in 1976. In 1977, Oz moved to Augusta Maine, where he worked in various capacities within the state legislature and in government-funded projects. In 1978 Oz participated in then Attorney General Joseph Brennan's succesful campaign for Governor. In 1979, Oz joined Gov. Brennan's staff as a Special Assistant and liaison to the state Departments of Corrections and Business Regulation and state housing finance authority. Oz also served on Governor Brennan's Commutation and Pardons Board. He also served as Deputy Director of the Maine Energy Office. In 1980, he was elected a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 1981, Oz moved his family to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for 2 years in the private sector as an investment banker for Crocker Bank. Oz returned to Baltimore in 1983 to join Alex Brown & Sons (now Deutsche Bank), serving as a successful investment banker. In this position, he became an expert in local and state finances. In 1991, Oz's entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found Bengur Bryan & Co., a firm that provides financial advice to mid-sized companies for mergers, acquisitions, and raising capital. Oz has been continuously active on the civic front, serving on the boards of The Baltimore Choral Arts Society, The Baltimore Parks and People Foundation, and as President of The Children's Chorus of Maryland and School of Music. Oz is the proud father of three children: Noah, a graduate of Gilman School and the Maine Maritime Academy and now attending flight school as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Marine Corps; Dinah, a graduate of elementary and middle schools in Baltimore County and Roland Park Country School, currently a crew member of the Pride of Baltimore with plans to enter college Fall, 2002; and Nicholas, who attended Riderwood School and is in the 6th grade at Boys Latin School. In early 2002, Oz made the decision to pursue life-long interests in improving education, health care, criminal justice and economic development through public service. For more information and campaign contributions: Oz Bengur
For Congress |