Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld

Biography:

Paul J. Wiedefeld was confirmed as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) on February 13, 2023, the latest achievement in a career spanning more than 40 years, including transportation posts in the public and private sectors.

As Secretary, Mr. Wiedefeld oversees MDOT’s six agencies – the State Highway Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, Maryland Aviation Administration, Maryland Port Administration and Maryland Transportation Authority. He leads operations and maintenance of state highways, bridges, tollways, transit systems, motor vehicle licensing, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. Upon confirmation he will serve as Chair of the MDTA Board, the Maryland Port Commission and the Maryland Aviation Commission; and a member of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board.

Secretary Wiedefeld most recently was Vice President with the international architectural and engineering firm HDR, where he served as the US Northeast Transportation Business Director. Prior to joining HDR, he was the General Manager/CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) from 2015 to 2022. Metro 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.

Prior to WMATA, Secretary Wiedefeld was the CEO of the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport for 10 years. Working closely with numerous airlines during his tenure, the airport grew to become the leading passenger airport in the Washington metropolitan region. To support this 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 rental car facility.

Secretary Wiedefeld also served as the Administrator of the Maryland Transit Administration, managing day-to-day operations of what was then the nation’s 13th largest transit system, including commuter rail, subway, light rail, buses, and paratransit.

He was prepared for these executive level public sector challenges by holding various county, regional, and state level government positions during his career. Most notably, serving as the Director of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Office of System Planning and Evaluation. In this position he was responsible for preparing the state’s long-range transportation plan and management of the Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP). The CTP is the department’s capital budget consisting of aviation, port, highway, and transit projects across Maryland. He was responsible for working extensively with a broad range of stakeholders throughout the state to reach consensus on transportation planning and programming initiatives to serve the needs of their communities.

Additional private sector experience includes a decade as a consultant with the engineering firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Secretary Wiedefeld has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Towson University and a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University. A Baltimore native, he attended Mount St. Joseph High School.

Members

Member Dontae Carroll

Biography:

Governor Larry Hogan appointed Dontae Carroll of White Plains in Charles County to serve as board member at the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) on July 22, 2017. Mr. Carroll is currently Vice President of Production for Berkadia, a leading Commercial Mortgage Banking and Investment Sales firm. He has over 20 years of leadership, management and executive experience in the residential real estate and adjacent services industries. He has held leadership positions as Regional Vice President at Compass Real Estate, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at The Menkiti Group, and key leadership roles at Long & Foster Real Estate, Century 21 and RE/MAX. Mr. Carroll is a native Baltimorean, a proud graduate of the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing from Loyola University Maryland.   

Member William H. Cox, Jr.

Biography:

President of William H. Cox, Jr., Real Estate, Inc., Mr. Cox also served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1971 - 1991 and previously worked in the financial industry. A graduate of Bel Air High School, Mr. Cox attended the University of Baltimore and previously served as chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation and the Greater Harford Committee, member of the Maryland Transportation Commission, vice chairman of the Conference of State Government and chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference's Federal State Affairs Committee, among many others.

Member W. Lee Gaines, Jr.

Biography:

W. Lee Gaines, Jr. was appointed to serve as a Member of the MDTA Board in April 2015. He is President of Gaines and Company, an underground-utility contractor based in Reisterstown, Md. With more than 40 years in the industry, Mr. Gaines is responsible for the financial end of his business and also is involved in procurement and personnel matters. He is a past president and board member of the Associated Utility Contractors of Maryland and a long-time board member of the National Utility Contractors Association. Mr. Gaines is a past trustee of the Boys' Latin School of Maryland and of the Gilman School and currently is a trustee of Yorktown University. Mr. Gaines is a graduate of Yale University.

Member Mario J. Gangemi, P.E.

Biography:

An Eastern Shore native, Mario J. Gangemi, P.E., has more than 26 years of experience as an engineer in the geotechnical, construction, environmental and structural fields. Currently, he is with Greggo & Ferrara, Inc., a highway construction firm that has been in business for more than 70 years..

Active in his community, Mr. Gangemi has coached youth lacrosse and football for numerous years and, with friends, founded the Cecil Lacrosse League, which has grown from just over 50 boys to more than 300 boys and girls in a few short years.

Mr. Gangemi also is active with the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce and helped establish the Cecil Business Leaders for Better Government (CBL), an organization that recruits and supports local candidates that will encourage policies that will grow jobs in Cecil County.

Mr. Gangemi earned bachelor's degrees from Salisbury University (Physical Science) and the University of Maryland (Civil Engineering) as well as a master's degree in Coaches Education from Ohio University. He and his wife, Michele, reside with their three children in Fairhill, Maryland.

Member John F. von Paris

Biography:

John F. von Paris A graduate of Towson University, Mr. von Paris is president and chief executive officer of Von Paris Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of the von Paris Family Moving and Storage business. Mr. von Paris has served previously as chairman of the Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland and past member of the Governor's Workforce Investment Board, where he co-chaired the Transportation Initiative. He is a past trustee and board member of The John Carroll School.

Member Cynthia D. Penny-Ardinger

Biography:

Governor Larry Hogan has appointed attorney and Certified Public Accountant Cynthia D. Penny-Ardinger to serve as the Board Member of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). Ms. Penny-Ardinger was appointed on December 10, 2019.

A partner at Baxter, Baker, Sidle, Conn & Jones, P.A., Ms. Penny-Ardinger has two decades of experience in representing clients in the business and estates and trust practice areas. She received both a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Juris Doctorate at the University of Maryland. She is a former president of the Friends of Howard County Library and has served on the boards of numerous organizations including the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Company, the Charter Review Commission of Howard County, and Neighborhood Ride, a Howard County organization that provides transportation to seniors.  She has chaired numerous ad hoc committees for the purpose of educational advocacy.

Member Jeffrey S. Rosen

Biography:

Governor Larry Hogan has appointed certified public accountant and financial expert Jeffrey S. Rosen to serve as the newest Board Member of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).  Mr. Rosen was appointed on July 1, 2019.

Co-managing partner of Rosen, Sapperstein & Friedlander, LLC, Mr. Rosen previously worked for The Shelter Group, The Bernstein Companies, Sphere Software Corporation and GE Capital.

Mr. Rosen received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland College Park and has served on the boards of numerous non-profits, including Towson University, Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. (CHAI), Association for Corporate Growth (Maryland Chapter) and The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. He received the Daily Record’s Influential Marylander Award in 2019 and the Daily Record’s VIP award in 2014. 

Member Samuel D. Snead, MCP, MA

Biography:

Samuel Snead was appointed to the Maryland Transportation Authority in Spring of 2023. 

Since 2021, Mr. Snead has served as Transportation Officer of the Anne Arundel County Department of Transportation. In this role, Mr. Snead maintains responsibility for improving multi-modal transportation networks that include regional transportation, transit, traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian system planning, as well as transit operations. During his 20-plus year career in transportation and planning, Mr. Snead has held positions with Baltimore County; the U.S. Department of Transportation; the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority; the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization; Arlington County, Va.; and in the private sector as a transportation planner/engineer.

Mr. Snead holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies with a focus on infrastructure from Brown University, a master's degree in community planning from the University of Rhode Island, and a master’s degree in management from American Public University. Invested in his community, Mr. Snead volunteers as a youth sports coach, youth mentor and for his local church. He is an active member of the Conference for Minority Transportation Officials, American Planning Association and American Public Transit Association. Mr. Snead also serves as a Central Maryland Regional Transportation Agency Commissioner, board member legislative chair for Transit Association of Maryland, and representative board member for Baltimore Regional Transportation Board.

Executive Director

Executive Director Bruce Gartner

Biography:

Bruce Gartner was named Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Executive Director effective January 31, 2024. As head of the MDTA, Executive Director Gartner leads the 1,700 employee agency that finances, constructs, operates, preserves and improves the state’s eight toll facilities, including the DriveEzMD Maryland tolling system and the nationally accredited Maryland Transportation Authority Police.

Immediately prior to joining the MDTA, Executive Director Gartner served as Administrator of the Howard County Office of Transportation. In this role, he was responsible for the planning and development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities and enhancements to the regional transit network. He led Howard County’s efforts to develop long-term transportation plans and served as the County Executive’s empowered representative on the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. Previously, he served as the Maryland Transportation Client Account Manager at Jacobs Engineering Group.

Executive Director Gartner has a long history with the MDTA and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). This is his second time serving as MDTA Executive Director, having previously held the role from 2013 to 2015. Before that, he served as the Director of Policy & Governmental Affairs and Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy & Freight at MDOT. He also served as Director of Strategic Development at the MDTA.