Fresh off reelection win, Moore names new chief of staff

Fresh off his reelection victory Tuesday, Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday announced the departure of chief of staff Lester Davis and named Emmanuel “Manny” Welsh to replace him.

Davis, who was named Moore’s top aide in September 2025, leaves after 14 months in the State House to become the interim CEO of the Maryland Technology Development Corp., what he called the “opportunity of a lifetime” in statement announcing the changes.

For the last year, Welsh has served as principal deputy chief of staff and chief administrative officer for Moore, who said Welsh has been “invaluable” to the administration since joining initially as the liaison to the Board of Public Works.

“His encyclopedic knowledge on how to pull the levers of state bureaucracy to tackle complex problems and find innovative solutions is exactly what Maryland needs right now,” Moore said in the statement.

Welsh has effectively been second in command to Davis. As such, Welsh was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the office. He also worked with Moore’s Cabinet and senior staff members as well as Moore’s procurement policy and the Board of Public Works.

Before joining Moore, Welsh worked for then-Comptroller Peter Franchot (D). Welsh, who was born in the Philippines, joined Franchot’s communication staff in 2015 and within a year, he was assisting the comptroller with the Board of Public Works, a three-member panel — the governor, comptroller and state treasurer — that approves state contracts. By 2020, Welsh was named Franchot’s chief of staff.

Welsh earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Towson University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Baltimore.

Welsh takes over his new role effective immediately.

Welsh’s ascendance and Davis’ departure is part of a shuffling of Moore’s second-floor staff ahead of the start of his second term.

At TEDCO, Davis will replace Troy LeMaile-Stovall, who has led TEDCO since 2020.

“TEDCO is where this state’s economic agenda becomes lasting: Backing new companies, supporting entrepreneurs in every region, and getting research out of the lab and into the market,” he said in a statement.

Davis joined the Moore team fresh from a three-year stint as vice president and chief of staff for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. He also served on transition teams for Moore and for Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

Davis joined Moore’s team at a time when there was some grumbling that the governor’s office was not always responsive.

“When Lester joined my team as Chief of Staff, he inherited some of the longest standing, thorniest problems we needed to solve quickly,” Moore’s statement said. “He implemented new processes and creative solutions to help deliver real results, and so much more. Lester has made State government work better for the people of Maryland, with integrity, discipline, and heart.”