Wiedefeld leaving MDOT, search for new transportation secretary begins

by Bryan P. Sears, Maryland Matters
July 9, 2025

Paul Wiedefeld, whom Gov. Wes Moore (D) once dubbed “the transportation leader we need at this moment,” will leave the job he has held since 2023 and trigger a search for a new state transportation secretary.

Wiedefeld, who turns 70 next month, is expected to leave the position Aug 1. He will be replaced — at least temporarily — by Deputy Secretary Samantha Biddle. A spokesperson for the governor confirmed that Moore will begin a national search for a new secretary.

Wiedefeld is the fifth Cabinet secretary to leave the Moore administration since January. His stepping down comes at the same time as the departure of two other administration officials: Eric Luedtke, an adviser to the governor on budget and tax issues, is moving to the Department of Natural Resources, while Brad Fallon, a deputy legislative officer on Moore’s team, is heading to the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Wiedefeld’s step back from what he described in an interview Wednesday as a “24/7 job” won’t likely be an official retirement for the Towson resident. The secretary is currently the vice president of the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials. Next month he’ll become president of that organization.

“It’s definitely retirement from a 24/7 job,” he said. “There’s a number of things people talk to me about, universities, nonprofits, boards and consulting, to be frank, you know? So I’m very fortunate. I have different avenues there, if I want to pursue them, all or none.”

Biddle, a veteran of the department, came up through the State Highway Administration. She was tapped as chief of staff by Greg Slater when he was appointed transportation secretary by Gov. Larry Hogan. She remained in the position under Jim Ports, who succeeded Slater in 2022.

The state is set to begin a nationwide search for a new secretary that will be led by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller.

Fagan Harris, Moore’s chief of staff, said Miller, who has a background in transportation engineering, is the right choice to lead the search.

“Obviously, her expertise here is huge,” Harris said Wednesday. “Paul leaves really, really big shoes to fill.”

“He’s held every major transportation job, it seems, in the state and has always done a phenomenal job for the taxpayers,” Harris said. “I think in two and a half years he has reshaped MDOT in ways that are powerful and profound not just for now but for future generations.”

Among those accomplishments, Harris said, is the replacement of light rail cars and improved safety on the system, “pulling down $5 billion in federal funding and shoring up the Transportation Trust Fund.”

Harris added that it was the response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last year that showed him who Wiedefeld was. In the days that followed, Wiedefeld was tasked with protecting the state’s port economy, ushering a deal through Congress to replace the bridge and managing the response to the crisis.

“So I think for me, that was the moment — seeing how despite all the heavy things that were on him,and despite the difficulty of the assignments, the many competing things that he needed to manage and figure out, that he has the wherewithal to show up (for the families of those who died) as a father, as a brother, to say I’m here with you and I understand,” Harris said.

“I think everyone knows his resume,” Harris said. “I think everyone knows he can execute, but there’s a humanity and a genuineness to him that is special.”

Harris said Wiedefeld’s decision was “telegraphed for a long time.”

Wiedefeld said he leaves the department not only with a renewed sense of the mission of the agency but with what he called “a deep bench” of senior level staff.

“There’s a bench there, deep bench, a very deep bench,” Wiedefeld said. “That is one thing that we worked on … we had to make some changes. Look across the board, we made some significant changes because we had to get to where we wanted to get. And I think we’re set there very well.”

Wiedefeld said he is confident the agency “won’t miss a beat” with Biddle serving as acting secretary.

Biddle, for her part, said she will throw her hat into the ring to succeed Wiedefeld.

“My heart has been fully rooted in public service, really, ever since I joined the department just about 11 years ago, and so it would be really hard for me to not pursue that wholeheartedly, just knowing how much public service has really shaped my career, shaped me as a person, and the ability to get to work with such an amazing team, amazing leadership as well,” Biddle said Wednesday.

“At the highest level, I am not deterred by any type of challenge,” she said. “I love to solve a problem, and I love to work with great people, so I look forward to the opportunity to continue in that in any way.”

The departure of Moore’s transportation secretary is one of three administration officials who are leaving their current roles.

Wiedefeld becomes the fifth member of Moore’s Cabinet to leave or be shown the door since January. His departure comes as the state juggles large projects, including the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Moore’s signature reboot of the Red Line in Baltimore.

Either project would be considered a legacy maker.

Wiedefeld said those are “big projects and exciting projects … but that’s not what’s driving that’s me.”

“There’s always be something like that, to be honest with you,” he said. “You know, every job I’ve had, whether it was at BWI [Baltimore-Washington International Airport], there was always something big right around the corner, whether it was at WMATA [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority], there was always something big right around the corner. There’s never an ideal time in that perspective.”

Moore praised Wiedefeld’s service in a statement Wednesday.

“Our state is grateful for Paul Wiedefeld’s distinguished service over the last two and a half years. Under Paul’s leadership, we’ve made it easier for Marylanders to get from where they live to where opportunity lies — and laid the foundation for a more competitive, affordable state for all,” Moore said in a statement.

“Secretary Wiedefeld brought decades of expertise to our team, and he used that wisdom to cultivate a new generation of talent,” Moore said. “Samantha Biddle has the experience, instincts, and knowledge to carry forward the baton of service at the Maryland Department of Transportation. I look forward to continuing our work together as she takes on this new acting role.”

Wiedefeld is the latest secretary to leave the Moore administration as it clears the midpoint of its first term and rounds the corner to re-election mode. In January, Moore announced Kevin Anderson would leave his role as commerce secretary and become an economic development adviser to the governor.

Two weeks later, state Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott announced she would step down amid a budget storm that included a proposed $200 million cut in funding to the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

Anthony C. “Tony” Woods announced in May that he was leaving for a private sector job with a tech startup. And a month ago, embattled Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Vincent Schiraldi left the Moore administration. Schiraldi, a lightning rod for criticism, especially from Republicans, said he left of his own accord. Moore said he asked the secretary to resign.

Word of Wiedefeld’s departure also comes the same week that two other senior aides to Moore are set to move to new roles off the second floor.

Luedtke joins the Department of Natural Resources to oversee capital projects. The move, which was official on June 25, had not been previously announced and was made public in an email Wednesday. Prior to joining he department, Luedtke served as an  adviser to Moore on budget and tax issues.

In a phone interview prior to the release of the email to DNR employees, Luedtke expressed excitement about the new role.

“Secretary Josh Kurtz and the whole crew at DNR are really awesome to work with,” said Luedtke. “The work they do is a real passion project.”

It’s a passion project of Luedtke’s, too.

Prior to joining the Moore administration, was a delegate. One of his last legislative initiatives was passage of the Great Maryland Outdoors Act, which funneled more money into improving facilities at state parks around Maryland.

Luedtke, a former Montgomery County lawmaker, who just returned from a week-long scouting trip spent on a boat in Florida, is an avid hiker who frequently posts on social media about visits to state parks.

This is the second job change for Luedtke in a year.

Luedtke joined the administration early, tapped by Moore in the days after the 2022 election. Moore plucked Luedtke from his role as House Majority leader to become his chief legislative officer.

Last December, Luedtke slid over into his budget and tax role, making way for Jeremy Baker, then chief of staff to House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County), to assume the job of Moore’s chief lobbyist.

Also leaving is Fallon, a deputy legislative officer who joined Moore’s team days before the 2023 inauguration, will also leave the second floor next week, according to an email obtained by Maryland Matters.

Fallon leaves the second floor to become the assistant secretary to the new Division of Business Development at the Department of House and Community Development under Secretary Jake Day.

“I’m so excited to hit the ground running and continue advancing Governor Moore and Secretary Day’s goals of a thriving business community and vibrant communities across the state,” Fallon wrote in the email in which he announced his departure.

Fallon served as Luedtke’s chief of staff while in the House. He also co-taught a government class with former Howard County Executive Ken Ulman (D), who co-chaired Moore’s transition team and was later the governor’s pick to lead the Maryland Democratic Party.

– This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. on July 9 to update the number of Cabinet secretaries who have left this year to five.

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