Governor Hogan announced last week that Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Greg Slater and Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz will both step down from their respective positions effective January 11th. Secretary Slater will be joining the private sector out of state and Secretary Schulz plans to focus on her gubernatorial campaign.
Regarding the members of his Cabinet that will be leaving, Governor Hogan said:
Greg Slater and Kelly Schulz have made countless contributions to change Maryland for the better. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service, and we wish them well in their future pursuits.
To replace these cabinet level positions, the Governor made three key appointments that will also take effect on January 11th. Former Maryland Secretary of Commerce Mike Gill will rejoin the administration to succeed Secretary Kelly Schulz.
In a press release from his office, Governor Hogan said:
We’re excited to add new members of our Cabinet with a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to public service. Mike Gill helped lead our economic turnaround for the first four years of our administration, and it is great to have him back to finish the job.
Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Executive Director James F. Ports, Jr., has been named Secretary of MDOT to replace Secretary Slater. In his role at MDTA, Executive Director Ports oversaw all of the state’s toll facilities and the E-ZPass Maryland system.
From the Governor’s press release:
Jim Ports has served in major transportation roles at the federal, state, and local levels, and he is the right person to continue building on all of our record investments in both roads and transit.
William Pines, MDTA’s Chief Engineer, will succeed James Ports as MDTA’s Executive Director. Governor Hogan congratulated Will Pines and said he was “a talented engineer who has spearheaded some of our biggest projects, and is very deserving of the opportunity to lead MDTA.”
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