Three of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s cabinet secretaries are departing the administration as the governor prepares to enter his second term.

Secretary of State Susan Lee, Secretary of Veterans and Military Families Edward Rothstein and Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Carolyn Scruggs are all leaving their roles effective Friday, Moore’s office announced.

Interim secretaries have been named while the governor’s team conducts searches for replacements.

The cabinet shake-up comes days after Moore easily won reelection to a second term, besting Republican Dan Cox and two third-party candidates.

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Carolyn Scruggs, secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, speaks during a meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works at the State House in Annapolis on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Carolyn Scruggs "will transition from her role as secretary," the Moore administration announced. (Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Banner)

Scruggs’ leadership had come under scrutiny as prison killings spiked, a probation agent was killed on the job and lawmakers questioned the quality of medical care provided to incarcerated people. The Banner first reported her departure on Thursday.

Moore’s announcement said Scruggs will “transition from her role as secretary” but did not say what she would transition to.

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David Greene, a deputy secretary, will serve as interim secretary of the corrections department.

Union leader Jack Hughes said the “transition” of leadership was long overdue.

All parts of the department, from corrections to parole, “need a change in leadership and a massive influx of resources,” said Hughes, president of AFSCME Maryland Council 3.

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“AFSCME looks forward to working with new department leadership to make our communities safer, protect those in the state’s care and ensure that AFSCME members get home from work safely,” Hughes said in a statement.

Maryland Secretary of State Susan C. Lee is leaving her position "for personal matters." (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)

Lee is departing her post as secretary of state “for personal matters,” according to the announcement. Before serving as secretary of state, she was a state senator and delegate representing Montgomery County.

Michael Lore, the deputy secretary of state, will take over as interim secretary.

Scruggs and Lee were both original members of Moore’s cabinet, serving in their roles since 2023.

Carroll County Commissioner Ed Rothstein
Secretary of Veterans and Military Families Edward C. Rothstein is leaving his position. (Carroll County Government)

Rothstein joined the Moore administration as veterans secretary last summer, leaving his position as a Republican member of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. He’s a retired Army colonel who was garrison commander of Fort George G. Meade from 2011 through 2013.

Deputy Secretary James Anderson will serve as interim secretary of the veterans department.