Connelly was appointed Deputy Secretary Connelly in January 2022. Prior to that he served as Assistant Secretary of Marketing, Animal Industries, and Consumer Services. Connelly previously was working at MDA managing a Crop Insurance and Risk Management promotion program. He earned a degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland. His earlier career includes being a partner in the Capstone Group-NCH, a firm providing association management and government relation services, USDA’s Farm Service Agency, Maryland Ag Education Foundation, Maryland Department of Agriculture, and Maryland Farm Bureau. He was raised on a family dairy farm in Cecil County, MD and resides in Rising Sun, MD with his wife Valerie.

R. Earl Lewis, Jr became MDOT Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) first Director of Zero Emission Bus Infrastructure in March of 2023. He has been with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) for over 22 years. He is proud to be a member of the MTA Team of Transit Professionals that successfully moved the MTA’s 7 Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) into revenue service in late January 2024. This is the beginning of a large-scale transition by MTA to a primarily Zero Emission Transit Bus fleet over the coming years and decades. Earl was part of the MTA Team that recently was awarded the APTA 2025 Bus Emergency Management Gold Award for its’ Battery Electric Bus First Responder Training Program.

Pamela Janifer is a proud native Washingtonian.  She attended schools in the District of Columbia Public School System before moving to Prince George’s County. She went on to attend Bowie State University and Towson University before moving to the City of District Heights, where she celebrates 26 years as a resident of the Incorporated City of District Heights.

Odogwu Obi Linton was appointed to the Maryland Public Service Commission in 2017, reappointed in 2022, and again in 2025 by Governor Wes Moore. He brings over two decades of leadership experience in energy policy, utility regulation, consumer protection, and regulatory law, with a strong focus on ensuring reliable, affordable, and equitable utility service for Maryland residents.

Mike Laughlin is a Technology Manager in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation's Transportation Technologies Office (TTO). His role for the Technology Integration (TI) Program includes day-to-day management of several TI-funded activities, and he serves as an interface between TI and other TTO research programs, in particular the Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Program. He also serves as the Federal Manager for the 21st Century Truck Partnership, a government/industry research partnership for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles.

Margaret Smith is a Technology Manager in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Transportation Technologies Office (TTO). As the Clean Cities and Communities lead for the DOE headquarters team, she provides strategic direction for the federal partnership with a team of leaders across DOE and its national laboratories. She manages a portfolio of federally funded projects that advance clean transportation solutions through outreach, engagement, technical assistance, and deployment.

As an entrepreneur, Luis MacDonald started AutoFlex Inc. in 1987. With his vast knowledge and experience with Fleet Leasing all OEM's, including EV's, EVSE and the installations of charging stations, made his company a turn-key solution. He is a VA verified Small Disadvantaged Veteran Small Business and is a Federal GSA Contract holder.

Kendra Patterson is a Regional Fleet Sales Manager with Volkswagen of America, where she leads strategic fleet partnerships across the Eastern and Southern United States. Her career spans 15 years across strategic partnerships, business development, marketing, enterprise sales, and customer strategy, with a focus on building relationships and creating solutions that support organizations and their evolving mobility needs.

Governor Wes Moore appointed Kathryn “Katie” Thomson as secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation on December 18, 2025. Secretary Thomson brings more than 30 years of experience in transportation, aviation, energy, and sustainability law, policy, and operations to the role.

As a licensed dealer, Computerized Auto Search (CAS) has extensive buying and selling power across the United States. Since founding CAS in 1988, the goal has been to help individuals secure the best quality vehicles for their budgets and to support them throughout the financing process. Over the years, we have expanded our services to include corporations, auto manufacturers, dealerships, insurance companies, government agencies, and lending institutions nationwide. Additionally, we operate a retail facility open to the public.

Reverend Gilbert is presently serving as the Assistant to the Pastor at Holy Trinity United Baptist Church;Executive Director of The Center For Racial Equity And Justice; Co-Chairman of the Civic and Social Actions Committee of the Missionary Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Washington, D.C and Vicinity, Chairman of the Social Justice Commission of the Baptist Convention of D.C. and Vicinity and Chief of Mobilization for the Social Justice Commission of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC). He also serves as the Christian Services Chaplain for the Washington, D.C. Youth Prisons, (where he resurrected Christian Services and Sunday Worship Services from 8 years of dysfunction), the Director of Community Engagement for CORE DC (managing agency for Washington, D.C.’s returning citizen’s who are released on probation) and on the Religious Council for the Greater Washington Clean Cities Coalition.

Emmett V. Jordan is serving his fifth term as Mayor of Greenbelt, where he has lived and worked for more than two decades. Elected to the Greenbelt City Council in 2009, he made history as the first African American to serve on the body. For 16 years, he has been a steady voice for progress, collaboration, and community values.