By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
It’s been a little over a month since Lester Davis, former vice president and chief of staff for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (Carefirst), took over as Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s chief of staff. Davis brings more than a decade of public service experience, including serving as deputy chief of staff for the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office, sitting on the board for Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) and being appointed to the Baltimore Regional Water Governance Task Force.
Moore announced that he tapped Davis for the position on Sept. 8, highlighting his ability to meet the challenges facing Maryland today.
“Lester is a known problem-solver, and his proven ability to secure improved outcomes for the people he serves will build on the progress our administration has made over the past two and a half years,” said Moore in a statement. “He brings a commitment to building strong partnerships, uplifting communities and delivering data-driven results that are in lockstep with priorities our administration has championed since day one.”
The AFRO spoke with Davis about his first 100-day priorities, how he plans to leverage past experiences in this new role and his strategies for addressing Maryland’s most pressing hurdles.
AFRO: What are your top priorities in these first 100 days as Governor Moore’s chief of staff?
Lester Davis: It all starts and ends with the budget. That’s been the lion’s share of my focus since the announcement back in September and certainly since I assumed this role on Oct. 15. Constructing the budget and working with the legislature around priorities for the budget has been what’s kept me busy throughout the days.
I’ve also been working with our legislative team on the legislative agenda for the session that’s coming up in January. I spend a lot of time talking and meeting with members of the General Assembly, getting advice and counsel from them. Lastly, I’ve been thinking about the orientation of the staff and how we’re preparing ourselves to do the work and keep making progress.
AFRO: You’ve led in both Baltimore City government and at CareFirst. How do you think your experiences in the private sector and in Baltimore shape your approach to this role?
Lester Davis: The city of Baltimore is a great training ground. I spent a decade working at the city and did just about every job you can think of. I’ve been no stranger to Annapolis. I was the person who was charged with budget formulation and shepherding at the local level. Conversely, my time in the private sector has been helpful because of the focus on process improvement, including how we orient ourselves for greater impact, what it looks like to build teams and how to get the best out of talent. I think it’s been a good marriage of both those skillsets.
AFRO: How would you describe your working relationship with Governor Moore so far?
Lester Davis: The working relationship is collaborative. The governor wants to hear the best and brightest ideas. He’s very inquisitive and wants to think about how the state can innovate and push ourselves to do more for the people that we represent.
It’s refreshing and invigorating to work for someone like the governor. He has a lot of energy. The calls start early in the morning, and they go well past 11 p.m. I think it’s exciting to have someone who is passionate and lives and breathes this 24/7.
AFRO: From your perspective, what are Maryland’s most urgent challenges heading into 2026, and how do you plan to help the administration tackle them?
Lester Davis: It may sound repetitive, but the challenges that we face really do start and end with the budget— even those around the severed relationship between our state and Washington. I think the growing rate of budgets is going to continue to be a challenge, as well as health care.
We’re going to have to get through this together. We have everything in the state that we need to be able to position ourselves for growth and vibrancy in Maryland. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions, and we’ll have to do that collectively.
AFRO: When you think about this chapter of your career, what does this moment mean to you personally?
Lester Davis: It’s humbling. To be in a position of leadership at this time— a time unlike any other that any of us have faced before and when the challenges are at their highest— is pretty sobering. I wake up every day excited to get to work and with a sense of understanding that we do not have time to waste and that the folks we represent, particularly the most vulnerable, are counting on us to do more today than we did yesterday. I enjoy every day I get to spend in the state house, and I have an immense sense of gratitude.
