Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) said that Paul Wiedefeld (above), secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, will leave his position on August 1, with Samantha Biddle – Maryland DOT deputy secretary – stepping in to serve as acting secretary.
[Above photo by the Maryland DOT]
“Our state is grateful for Paul Wiedefeld’s distinguished service over the last two and a half years. Under Paul’s leadership, we’ve made it easier for Marylanders to get from where they live to where opportunity lies — and laid the foundation for a more competitive, affordable state for all,” said Gov. Moore in a statement. “Samantha Biddle has the experience, instincts, and knowledge to carry forward the baton of service at the Maryland Department of Transportation. I look forward to continuing our work together as she takes on this new acting role.”
The governor noted that Wiedefeld’s leadership of Maryland DOT produced numerous achievements, including getting the Purple Line project back on track and helming a swift response and recovery following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge.
He also helped secure more than $5 billion in federal grants to advance transportation projects for the State of Maryland, including $213 million to replace the Maryland Transit Administration’s obsolete light rail vehicles; $80 million for the Maryland Transportation Authority’s I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel enhancement project; $30 million for Port of Baltimore’s Dundalk Marine Terminal reconstruction of berths 11-1; and billions in federal funds, alongside Amtrak, to transform the Northeast Corridor and Maryland Area Rail Commuter Penn Line.
[Editor’s note: The Maryland DOT is currently conducting an online survey and a series of virtual meetings to help update its Vulnerable Road User or VRU assessment. That assessment will help that agency refine its Serious About Safety initiative, an enhanced, department-wide program to drive safety goals and save lives, as well as its Complete Streets policy that prioritizes safe, reliable, equitable and sustainable travel across all modes to make roads safer for all users.]
Biddle – who has served as Maryland DOT’s deputy secretary since 2023 – has spent nearly two decades in the transportation industry, serving in both the public and private sector. Biddle joined state service in 2014, beginning as regional planner for Frederick and Montgomery counties for the Maryland State Highway Administration or MDSHA; a division of Maryland DOT.
She was then promoted to assistant chief and chief of regional and intermodal planning at MDHSA, then to director of organizational excellence and strategy.
She then served as chief strategy officer in the Maryland DOT secretary’s office before being promoted to chief of staff.
Biddle holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Delaware, is an American Institute Certified Planner, and completed the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Executive Leadership Institute program.
She also serves as Maryland DOT’s voting member for AASHTO’s Transportation Policy Forum; is chair of the AASHTO Census Transportation Solutions technical service program; is a director-at-large for Women’s Transportation Seminar– Baltimore Chapter; and serves as a Young Professionals Program Mentor.
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