ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore on Thursday announced two significant additions to his cabinet, appointing veteran federal and private-sector executives to lead the state’s energy and transportation agendas. Kelly Speakes-Backman has been named the new Director of the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA), while Kathryn “Katie” Thomson will serve as the Acting Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).
The appointments represent a strategic effort by the Moore-Miller administration to recruit leaders with deep experience in managing complex federal bureaucracies and multi-billion dollar infrastructure portfolios.
Transition at the Maryland Energy Administration
Kelly Speakes-Backman will assume her role as Director of the MEA on December 24, following the retirement of former director Paul G. Pinsky, who served the state for 39 years. Speakes-Backman returns to Maryland state service after a tenure at the federal level and in the private sector.
She most recently served as the executive vice president of public affairs at Invenergy and previously managed a massive portfolio as the acting assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Her background also includes a stint as a commissioner on the Maryland Public Service Commission from 2011 to 2015, where she oversaw the implementation of the EmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act…