Political personnel notes: More Moore transition stuff, plus Pittman recasts his team

Gov.-elect Wes Moore (D) continues to flesh out his transition team this week, adding dozens of members to his recently established policy committees.

The Moore camp recently set up nine policy committees, each with two or three chairs. Now the transition team has added several members to the policy panels’ rosters. Each list includes a combination of policy experts, advocates, elected officials, and campaign donors — though those categories are not mutually exclusive.

“This is a team that looks like the state of Maryland,” Moore said in a statement. “I’m so incredibly proud that we have built the most inclusive gubernatorial transition team in the history of Maryland. Together, this team will make bold actions that will benefit generations of Marylanders, no matter the color of their skin or the zip code they live in.”

Lt. Gov.-elect Aruna Miller (D), who is heading the incoming administration’s transition effort, noted that the transition includes majority-minority representation across policy committees, cross-generational representation, members from every region of Maryland, and women leading all the policy panels.

“We are doing things differently,” she said. “Too often, transitions lack openness and public engagement, but our administration believes that in order to build a better Maryland for everyone, we need all voices at the table.”

See the list of policy committee members here.

Pittman 2.0

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D), announced a series of promotions and staff changes in advance of the being sworn in for his second term next Monday. The highlights: current Office of Central Services Director Christine Anderson will serve as the county’s chief administrative officer, while current Communications Director Jeff Amoros will serve as chief of staff.

“I am proud to be able to elevate so many of our staff from within,” Pittman said.. “It shows we have a deep bench of dedicated and talented public servants continuing to make Anne Arundel County The Best Place — For All.”

Anderson, a veteran of local and state government posts, has led the Office of Central Services since 2015, where she managed county facilities and the county fleet, procurement, and other county operations.

Amoros joined the Pittman administration after serving in a variety of roles in Baltimore City government, including with the city council, the mayor’s office, and the Health Department, and also brings experience from a variety of state and local political campaigns. He led Baltimore City’s Joint Information Center during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the other key staff promotions:

• Current Director of Government Relations Director Pete Baron will serve as chief strategy officer. Baron is a former legislative director for both the Maryland Hospital Association and the Service Employees International Union, the Maryland and DC State Council of the AFL-CIO, and served in House Speaker Mike Busch’s office. Baron has served as a key policy and political adviser to Pittman.

• Deputy Communications Director Renesha Alphonso will take over as the administration’s communications director. Alphonso has done communications work for nonprofit organizations and the government.

• Community Engagement and Constituent Services (CECS) Assistant Director Vincent Moulden will become the CECS Director.

• CECS Director James Kitchin will serve as the director of Research and Special Initiatives.

• Communications and Policy Specialist Jenny Proebstle will become deputy chief of staff. Proebstle joined the Pittman administration in 2019, and has led the administration’s digital content creation work, including playing a key role in the county’s public outreach and rapid response efforts throughout the pandemic.