2 more members of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's Cabinet are leaving

Konner Metz, The Baltimore Sun on Nov 12, 2026

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BALTIMORE — Two more members of Gov. Wes Moore’s Cabinet are leaving their posts before the end of the year, including the heads of the Maryland departments of the Environment and Emergency Management.

Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain will leave the position on Dec. 31, with Deputy Secretary Adam Ortiz taking over as acting secretary Jan. 1, 2027, Moore’s office announced Thursday in a press release. She became the environment secretary in March 2023.

“Secretary McIlwain has dedicated decades of her life to public service, and her contributions will ensure that we leave our young Marylanders with more sustainable, equitable, and healthy communities than the ones we inherited,” Moore said in the release.

Secretary of Emergency Management Russell Strickland will retire Dec. 8 after 50 years in public safety, the release said. Earl Stoddard, Montgomery County’s assistant chief administrative officer and a former director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, will become acting secretary Dec. 9. Strickland was chosen for his position in 2021.

“Secretary Strickland’s extraordinary career of more than half a century in public service has shaped a safer, more resilient Maryland. From his steadfast leadership through unprecedented crises to his pioneering work supporting disaster survivors, Russ has set the gold standard for emergency management,” Moore added.

In 2025, McIlwain made $237,000, and Strickland made $214,000, according to state salary data compiled by The Baltimore Sun.

Since Moore’s reelection, five members of his Cabinet have now departed or announced plans to leave. Moore announced the departures of Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Carolyn Scruggs, Secretary of State Susan Lee, and Secretary of Veterans and Military Veterans Edward Rothstein on Nov. 6. He also named Manny Welsh his new chief of staff on Nov. 5.

Moore will nominate Ortiz and Stoddard for confirmation by the Maryland State Senate during the 2027 legislative session, according to the announcement.

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