Maryland Gov.-elect Wes Moore, pictured with President Biden at a rally shortly before Election Day (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)The announcement of additional members of the Moore/Miller transition team provides political insiders and activists with a clearer understanding of how their administration might be structured.
Currently, there are over 1,350 members in transition-at-large. Committees are led by women, with 236 members. More than half of the committees are represented by each county, and the majority-minority representation is only found on the East Coast, specifically in Maryland. According to the transition website, Aruna Miller is the first American-Asian chair of the transition committee in Maryland’s history. The transition team, led by Wes Moore, is committed to making history by electing Wes Moore as lieutenant governor.
Moore is expected to work in cooperation with his party, given that they have supermajorities in both the House of Delegates and State Senate. The transition team includes experts from academia, policy, housing, and other fields, who will assist Moore’s administration in getting off to a strong beginning.
Charlene Mickens Dukes, the inaugural female President of Prince George’s Community College and former President of the State Board of Education, is currently fulfilling the role of Co-Chair on the Education Executive Committee, alongside Richard H. Warren, Jr., Who holds the esteemed position of Hazel Professor of Education at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and was honored as the 2019 Maryland State Teacher of the Year. Gustavo Torres, the Executive Director of CASA de Maryland, has been appointed as a Co-Chair on the Jobs and Workforce Development Executive Committee. Lisa Brown, the Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199, will be actively involved in serving on the Health Care Executive Policy Committee.
Helene Grady, the treasurer for Johns Hopkins University, will assume the role of Budget Director. Amanda LaForge, who served as legal counsel during his campaign and worked in the Glendenning administration, will serve as the Chief counsel. Tisha Edwards, Moore’s campaign Chief of Staff, will be appointed as the Appointments Secretary, a crucial position in ensuring adequate representation in state government. Delegate Eric Luedtke, an early supporter of Moore, will leave his position as Majority Leader to become Moore’s Chief Legislative Director. Fagan Harris, the CEO of Baltimore Corps who has known Moore for over a decade, will serve as Moore’s Chief of Staff.
In March, the recorded data showed that there were more than 6,000 job vacancies in universities, colleges, and state agencies in Maryland. This is the highest job vacancy rate reported by legislative analysts since 2008, making it the first year to reach such a high rate. Currently, there is a large number of vacancies in the state government, and the transition team led by Moore is making even more efforts than usual to address this issue.