Maryland Governor Names Manny Welsh Chief of Staff as Lester Davis Moves to Lead TEDCO
Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced on November 5 that Manny Welsh is his new chief of staff, effective immediately. Welsh had been serving as principal deputy chief of staff and the state's first chief administrative officer; the outgoing chief of staff, Lester Davis, was named interim chief executive officer of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) by its board the same morning. Davis had held the chief of staff job since October 2025.
Welsh became principal deputy chief of staff and chief administrative officer in October 2025, after serving as a deputy chief of staff overseeing 12 agencies and, from 2023 to 2025, as executive director of the Board of Public Works. Earlier he spent more than seven years in leadership roles for former Comptroller Peter Franchot, including over two years as chief of staff of the 1,100-person, $131 million agency.
Born in the Philippines, Welsh immigrated to the United States in 2003 at age 11 and holds a bachelor's degree from Towson University and an MPA from the University of Baltimore. Moore said he has relied on Welsh's judgment for years and expects him to lead the office into the second term.
TEDCO is Maryland's lead economic-development body for early-stage technology companies. The Governor's Office said Davis will steer its investment and startup-support operations through the transition while a search for a permanent CEO proceeds, and that the Governor's Office handover was completed the same day.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Maryland)
Source: Office of the Governor of Maryland
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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