Last Tuesday’s democratic victory made Wes Moore the third Black governor in America’s political history, and the first Black governor of Maryland. Running against Trump endorsed candidate, Don Cox(R), Moore defeated his opponent garnering nearly 60% of Maryland’s votes.
On Nov. 14, Governor-elect Wes Moore announce his roster of new hires for top positions in his upcoming administration. According to NBC 11 Baltimore, the cabinet is listed as such:
- Fagan Harris as chief of staff
Along with Moore, Harris co-founded Baltimore Corps, a nonprofit organization focused on social innovation. Harris serves on the board of directors at AmeriCorps to which he was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
“In short, Fagan knows how to get things done,” Moore said.
Though all five appointees were at the news conference, Harris was the only one to speak. He said he’s proud to be the son of a teacher and a product of Maryland public schools. He provided a moment of levity amid serious business.
“Shout out to Marley Elementary in Anne Arundel County, shout out Marley Middle — go Mustangs — and Glen Burnie High School — go Gophers,” Harris said.
- Tisha Edwards as secretary of appointments
Edwards created of the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success. Under her leadership, the office distributed almost $70 million in COVID-19 relief and $100 million in eviction prevention. She served as the chief of staff to Moore’s campaign.
- Amanda La Forge as chief legal counsel
La Forge has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on election law, election administration, campaign finance, nonprofit taxation and governance and contractual and commercial matters affecting political and advocacy organizations.
- Eric Luedtke as chief legislative officer
Luedtke is the majority leader in the Maryland House of Delegates and a career educator. A member of the House since 2011, Luedtke chaired subcommittees overseeing education, taxes, economic development and gaming.
- Helene Grady as secretary of the Department of Budget and Management
Grady is vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer for Johns Hopkins University, responsible for overseeing the university’s financial and investment functions. She served as vice-chair of the board for the College Savings Plans of Maryland (MD529) and as a member of the Maryland Health Care Commission.
The Moore campaign has a reputation of having some of the most faithful and politically qualified members in this year’s race.
The Narrative Matters spoke with lawyer and political strategist Marjorie Fields Harris who served on Moore’s finance committee. Harris shared on her beginning efforts in assisting Moore’s campaign to reach the finish line.
“I have worked on national, state, and local campaigns for more than three decades, but this is the first time I was committed to raising money for a candidate because I understood that the timing was critical, and I believed that Wes Moore is exceptional,” Harris said.
“When I first signed up for his campaign, I faced criticism from friends across the State of Maryland because they didn’t feel he had the political credentials necessary to capture the nomination. Nonetheless, I persevered because I heard something in him that I only recall hearing from a few select candidates in the past. By October, those same critics were calling me to find out how they could support him. I believe that he will be an outstanding leader for Maryland’s residents and the DMV region’s citizens by his example.”
