Gov. Wes Moore has nominated Paul Wiedefeld as Maryland’s next secretary of transportation.
While Wiedefeld is currently a vice president with the international architectural and engineering firm HDR, where he serves as the U.S. Northeast transportation business director, he is better known in more recent times as general manager/CEO of the Washington Metro, which is one of the nation’s largest transit systems, with more than 12,000 employees, an annual $2.2 billion operating budget and a $2.5 billion capital program, from 2015 to 2022.
Before taking the position at Metro, Wiedefeld was the CEO of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport for 10 years. Working with numerous airlines during his tenure, the airport grew to become the leading passenger airport in the Baltimore-Washington region.
To support that growth, he managed the largest capital expansion in the airport’s history, including the construction of a 26-gate terminal for Southwest Airlines, an 8,400-space parking garage and a modern consolidated off-campus rental car facility.
He has also served as administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration, managing day-to-day operations of the nation’s 13th largest transit system, including commuter rail, subway, light rail, buses and paratransit. Paul was prepared for these executive level public sector challenges by holding various county, regional, and state level government positions during his career.