Gov. Moore promotes long-serving aide to chief of staff

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore made a key leadership change days after winning reelection, appointing longtime administration official and adviser Manny Welsh as chief of staff.

Welsh replaces Lester Davis, who becomes interim CEO of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, the state-backed entity charged with cultivating the tech industry.

Welsh, an experienced public servant who has been immersed in the workings of state government, will be the Democratic governor’s third chief of staff.

Welsh’s “encyclopedic knowledge” of the state’s bureaucracy is “exactly what Maryland needs right now,” Moore said in a statement.

“I’ve relied on his sage advice for years, and I know he will help us deliver for the people of Maryland as we head into our second term,” Moore said.

Neither Welsh nor Davis immediately responded to requests for comment.

Considered a 2028 presidential hopeful, Moore’s move may signal a desire to deliver results on some of his most ambitious projects and shore up his case for higher office.

Welsh most recently served as one of Moore’s top advisers, coordinating with cabinet agencies and senior staff to push the governor’s agenda. At the start of Moore’s first term, Welsh acted as Moore’s liaison to the state spending board, a powerful three-person panel that includes the governor, comptroller and treasurer, and approves how the state spends its budget.

Welsh previously served as former Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot’s chief of staff.

Davis steps down from the job after just over a year in the role.

Moore expressed gratitude and said Davis had “inherited some of the longest standing, thorniest problems,” and during his tenure made state government work better for Marylanders. Davis will now play a key role in helping to build Maryland’s economy, Moore said.

“TEDCO could not have selected a more capable leader during this pivotal chapter in the organization’s history and Maryland’s economy,” he said in the statement.

Davis was appointed by TEDCO’s board of directors, according to the announcement.