ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Nov. 18, 2022) – Gov.-Elect Wes Moore today named several additional members of his senior leadership team. Jonny Dorsey, Shaina Hernandez, and Lucinda Ware will each serve as Deputy Chief of Staff, and Andy Parker will serve as Assistant Chief of Staff.

“I am so pleased that these extremely talented individuals have chosen to join our administration,” Gov.-Elect Wes Moore said. “To truly execute our mission of ‘leaving no one behind,’ we must recruit exceedingly capable leaders whose professional, and lived experiences, equip them to confront the issues that face our state. Jonny, Shaina, Lucinda, and Andy bring remarkable and diverse leadership experiences that will prepare and propel their success in their new roles.”

“Jonny, Shaina, Lucinda, and Andy bring extraordinary expertise from careers that span the public, private, and social sectors,” said incoming chief of staff Fagan Harris. “They are innovative, hard charging, and dynamic. Collectively, they have worked at every level of government to improve public education, strengthen our public infrastructure, address the impacts of climate change and conserve our environment, as well as advance our national security. Their diversity of professional, and lived, experience exemplifies the Moore-Miller Administration’s approach to talent. I’m eager to work shoulder-to-shoulder with them to rebuild state government as we confront the challenges Maryland families face.”

“Jonny, Shaina, Lucinda, and Andy have made important and lasting contributions to our communities as leaders in government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector,” said incoming Appointments Secretary Tisha Edwards. “They deeply value our charge to create an equitable and competitive Maryland in which every person can thrive. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to the team.”

About Jonny Dorsey

Jonny Dorsey previously served as Director of Innovation and Policy at Emerson Collective, a social good organization that deploys a range of tools—from impact investing to philanthropy to advocacy—in pursuit of a just and equitable America. In this role, he led various efforts to strengthen democracy, promote civic engagement, improve government delivery, and expand national service. Previously, Dorsey served as a White House Fellow in the Obama Administration where he worked in the Secretary’s Office of the Department of Education.

Dorsey is a serial social entrepreneur. He co-founded FACE AIDS, a nonprofit that mobilized students in the fight for global health equity that was acquired by Partners In Health, and Global Health Corps, which recruits and places emerging global leaders with high-impact nonprofits to build health systems around the world. Dorsey serves as a Trustee of Partners In Health and a Board Member of Plus1, which helps musical artists and their fans support justice causes. Dorsey has a B.A. in Human Biology and an MBA from Stanford University, where he was President of the Student Body and received the Deans’ Award for Academic Achievement. He also holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he was a Zuckerman Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership.

About Shaina Hernandez 

Shaina Hernandez will leave her post as Senior Advisor for Policy to recently re-elected Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, a position she has held since December 2018. Over the last four years, Hernandez has led the development and implementation of the Ellicott City Safe and Sound plan, Ball’s plan to mitigate flooding in Historic Ellicott City following the devastating floods in 2016 and 2018. During her tenure, Hernandez worked to secure $167 million in federal, state, and local funding for projects in Ellicott City and oversaw the completion of the H7 pond, the first flood mitigation facility of its magnitude ever constructed in Howard County. She also served as a subject matter expert on issues relating to emergency management, economic development, and the environment, and assisted in the passage of enhanced stormwater management regulations for the area surrounding Ellicott City. 

Prior to joining the county executive’s staff, Hernandez served as Director of Local Government Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for the Greater Baltimore Committee, a coalition of regional business and civic leaders, where she led the organization’s local advocacy efforts, including expanding opportunities for justice-involved individuals. She also held several roles in the office of former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, including Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Creative Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Baltimore City, and the South Baltimore Learning Center. Hernandez holds a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland, College Park.

About Lucinda Ware

For over a decade, Lucinda Ware has been on the front lines of the toughest battles in government, electoral campaigns, corporate public relations, and crisis management. In 2020 Ware served as National Political Director for U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) Presidential campaign – Amy for America. She also held the position as Vice President of SWAY, a strategic communications firm, servicing clients from coast to coast – helping first-time and experienced candidates alike chart a path to electoral victory, while providing strategic guidance to some of the country’s most influential labor unions, non-profits, and companies. 

Before her time at SWAY, Ware worked as Political and Outreach Director for Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) successful U.S. Senate campaign and served as the Director of Civic Engagement under Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake administration and the City of Baltimore. She also held the role of Special Assistant to then-Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and, later, as his Intergovernmental Affairs Aide, working with local and municipal leaders across the state. Most recently, Ware worked at the American Civil Liberties Union as Deputy Director of Policy & Campaigns for the Democracy Division, focusing on Consumer Privacy, Surveillance, Privacy and Technology, First Amendment issues. Ware served as a Senior Advisor to the Moore-Miller campaign.

About Andy Parker

Andy Parker is currently the General Counsel and VP of Advocacy at Baltimore Corps, an organization that connects underestimated communities to social impact careers and supports emerging entrepreneurs. At Baltimore Corps, Parker developed wide-ranging partnerships with Baltimore City and served as CFO and General Counsel as the organization tripled in size over three years.

Prior to joining Baltimore Corps, Parker worked in government and politics. He served as a Gardner Fellow in the Obama Administration’s White House Office of Public Engagement, where he organized and led events for the President and senior White House officials. He later worked for President Obama’s 2012 campaign, served in the Department of Defense Operational Energy Office, managed Maryland Senator Shelly Hettleman’s first campaign, and coordinated legislative priorities for the ACLU of Washington State. Parker holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he studied state and local government law and worked for Mayor Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, IN and Mayor Luke Bronin in Hartford, CT. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar.

This is the second leadership team announcement Governor-elect Moore has made since his historic victory last week.

Earlier this week, Moore named Fagan Harris as his Chief of Staff. Harris currently serves as the President and CEO of Baltimore Corps, an organization he co-founded with Moore in 2013. Moore also named House Majority Leader Del. Eric Luedtke as Chief Legislative Officer, Amanda La Forge as Chief Legal Counsel, Tisha Edwards as Secretary of Appointments, and Johns Hopkins University’s Chief Financial Officer Helene Grady as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.

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Wes Moore is the Governor-Elect of the State of Maryland. He is a U.S. Army combat veteran who led soldiers in combat with the 82nd Airborne Division, a Rhodes Scholar, former small business owner, and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations. Learn more at www.wesmoore.com.