Moore administration picks 10 for cabinet, including state senator

Similar to Maryland’s outgoing governor, Wes Moore is slated to take office next week without any legislative experience, creating an environment where those around the state’s chief executive have a particularly important role to play.

This week, Gov.-Elect Wes Moore, whose inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 18, filled out more of his team, announcing the appointment of 10 cabinet secretaries to lead the state’s executive branch agencies. One of the secretaries is a Maryland senator, seven were state residents and at least five have worked in D.C.

“He’s tapping into experience, which is always a helpful sign,” said Flavio Hickel Jr., associate professor of political science at Washington College in Kent County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Hickel also noted as “commendable” the racial and gender diversity of the nominees, something Moore championed when making the announcements.

“I promised in my campaign we would create an administration that looks like the state of Maryland, and today I’m proud to announce that with the addition of these public servants we are on our way to creating the most diverse cabinet in the history of Maryland,” Moore said in a Thursday release.

One of the announced nominees is from the Eastern Shore, a holdover from Larry Hogan's administration, but none of the 10 nominees is from Western Maryland, reflecting a slight difference from those who held the posts during Hogan’s last full year in office. Each of the secretaries must be confirmed by the Senate, which has a Democratic majority this session.

Senate president evaluates nominees, pledges a 'full vetting'

“We’ve only gotten brief introductions, so we have to do our own review,” Senate President Bill Ferguson said during his weekly press conference in Annapolis on Jan. 13. He noted he was “impressed with the quality and caliber” of the nominees, but pledged the Senate would do a full vetting.

One of those who Moore selected is a current member of the state senate, Sen. Susan Lee, D-Montgomery. If confirmed, Lee would be the state’s first Asian American secretary of state, a role which handles Executive Orders, pardons, and helps evaluate and coordinate the state’s international activity. The Maryland secretary of state also has an electoral role, though the position is not the chief elections officer as is the case in most other states.

The governor-elect picked Dr. Laura Herrera Scott to lead the Department of Health. Scott returns to the department where she served as deputy secretary of Public Health Services from 2011-2015. The Baltimore County resident most recently worked as the executive vice president of population health at Summit Health and as vice president of clinical strategy and product at Anthem, the largest health care provider within the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Like Moore, she is a veteran. Scott served from 1998-2008 as a major in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves.

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Carolyn Scruggs, the acting secretary of Public Safety and Corrections, has been in the role since Jan. 1, replacing Robert L. Green, a Western Maryland resident. Scruggs has been with the department for 27 years and was appointed to the acting role by Hogan. Moore picked the Towson University graduate to be his nominee to lead the department, which he emphasized staffing more fully during the campaign.

Moore asked Russell Strickland to stay on as the secretary of Emergency Management. Strickland, a native of Elkton in Cecil County, started in the role after being appointed by Hogan in 2021. He formerly led emergency services in Harford County and holds a master’s degree in management from Frostburg State.

The pick for secretary of Juvenile Services, Vincent Schiraldi, comes to the state from New York, where he worked at Columbia University as a senior research scientist at the school of social work. Schiraldi also has worked as director of juvenile corrections in Washington, D.C., which houses a juvenile detention facility in Maryland.

The secretary of Labor selection comes from one of the world’s largest technology companies. Portia Wu has worked as the managing director of United States public policy at Microsoft since 2017. The Montgomery County resident previously served at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Similarly, the Moore administration’s pick to lead the Information Technology department has a D.C. background. Katie Savage, the nominee for secretary of Information Technology, resides in the nation’s capital and is the acting director of defense digital services at the Department of Defense.

Rafael López, the choice for secretary of Human Services, also comes to Maryland from D.C. In the Biden administration, he served in the Department of Health and Human Services as senior advisor for children and families. During the Obama administration, he held the position of commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families at the department. He also has worked for two Baltimore-based organizations when not serving in government: the Family League of Baltimore City as president and CEO, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation as associate director.

The military veteran Moore chose Anthony Woods as secretary of Veterans Affairs. Woods, an Iraq War veteran, most recently directed a science and technology fellowship backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife. He resides in Prince George’s County.

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Atif Chaudhry has worked in the Maryland Department of Health since 2004, but he has been selected as the nominee for secretary of General Services. During the Hogan administration, he was appointed as deputy secretary of operations for the state health department in January 2021. He resides in Howard County and is a member of the Maryland Bar.

Filling vacancies will be a priority for secretaries, senate president says

The 10 members announced this week hope to join Moore and Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller in the 26-member cabinet. The Transportation secretary, who will oversee the transition converting the state fleet of vehicles to electric as well as state highways, ports and the Maryland Transit Administration, has yet to be named.

The cabinet meets weekly and helps to coordinate and direct state government.

“We’re going to move fast and these leaders are going to help pave the way to creating a Maryland where no one is left behind,” Moore said.

The secretaries have a lot to get done. The executive branch had roughly 6,500 vacancies as of last year.

“Secretaries are going to have to make (filling vacancies) a No. 1 priority,” Ferguson said during his press conference, “they wake up in the morning and they’re thinking: ‘How do I fill my vacancies?’ and they go bed at night thinking: ‘Did I fill my vacancies?’

“It’s essential for the successful operation of government,” he said.

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Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Gov.-elect Wes Moore picks 10 nominees to fill cabinet