Via Press Release:
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today announced the appointment of Walter L. Simmons as acting secretary of the newly-established Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility. Simmons will lead the agency’s work to support social equity programs across State government and streamline Maryland’s approach to supporting small and disadvantaged businesses. He will assume the post as acting secretary on October 20.
“In order to build a growing economy, we need to create an inclusive economy,” said Gov. Moore. “The new Department of Social and Economic Mobility will help ensure that all Marylanders have access to work, wages, and wealth—no matter their starting point or destination. Walter has the experience, wisdom, and vision to lead this critical agency. And under his leadership, we will continue our work to leave no one behind.”
Established by House Bill 1253—signed by the governor this year—the Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility is the first cabinet-level agency in the United States focused on removing structural barriers to upward mobility. By combining the three existing offices focused on social equity programming—the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women-Owned Business Affairs, the Office of Social Equity, and the Office of Minority Business Enterprises in the Maryland Department of Transportation—the agency will allow state government to better integrate initiatives that promote economic opportunity for individuals and small businesses.
Walter L. Simmons is an accomplished nonprofit, government, and workforce development executive who is recognized as a national leader in public sector workforce development. In 2018, Simmons created Employ Prince George’s, Inc., the principal workforce development entity for Prince George’s County. Under his leadership, Employ Prince George’s has helped raise more than $200 million, develop relationships with more than 400 partners, serve more than 100,000 job seekers, and assist more than 15,000 businesses, leading to the creation of tens of thousands of jobs throughout the D.C. metropolitan region.
“I am honored to be appointed to lead this historic agency under the Moore-Miller Administration,” said Walter L. Simmons. “Maryland’s resources are vast, and our moment is now—to align around a unified strategy that opens doors to the middle class, strengthens our economy, and ensures our business community flourishes.”
Simmons holds several leadership roles outside of his work with Employ Prince George’s, serving as chair of both the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations and IMPACTdmv. He also serves as the vice chair of the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals and he serves on the board of directors for the Bi-County Business Roundtable, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Workforce Boards.
Simmons earned his undergraduate degree from Newberry College.
Governor’s Office of Small, Minority, and Women Owned Business Affairs Special Secretary Maria Martinez has chaired the Maryland Department of Social and Economic Mobility’s transition and will continue in her role as the agency assumes new leadership. After the transition, Secretary Martinez will assume a new position as special secretary for regulatory and permitting reform and will lead the State’s efforts to streamline and modernize permitting and regulatory processes pursuant to Governor Moore’s 2024 Strengthening Maryland’s Business Climate to Bolster Economic Competitiveness Executive Order.
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