With only days left in the legislative session to navigate the appointment process, Gov. Wes Moore announced his nominee for adjutant general to head the Maryland National Guard on Monday, according to a letter from the governor read in the state Senate.

Moore tapped decorated military leader and current assistant adjutant general, Brig. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, to lead the state’s military reserve forces.

Moore submitted Birckhead’s nomination along with his pick to lead the state’s new service agency, Paul Monteiro, whose appointment the governor formally announced during a news conference earlier in the day.

Gov. Wes Moore announces Paul Monteiro, right, as the first secretary of the Department of Service and Civic Innovation at a press conference in the Maryland State House.on Monday, April 3. Moore issued an executive order creating the cabinet-level department on his first full day in office in January. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)

“These individuals bring both excellence and equity to the office for which they have been nominated,” Moore said in a statement. “I am confident they will provide the strength of experience and leadership to instill confidence across our communities, make state government work for all of our citizens and leave no one in Maryland behind.”

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Birckhead has taken on high-profile responsibilities in her decadeslong career. During the week of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Birckhead assumed command of 3,500 guardsmen stationed in Washington, D.C., to assist local law enforcement.

If her name sounds familiar that’s because former Gov. Larry Hogan appointed Birckhead to chair the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force. The Republican created the task force in February 2021 to ensure people in marginalized and rural communities could access the COVID-19 vaccine during the height of the pandemic.

Before becoming assistant adjutant general in 2018, Birckhead has served in command posts throughout the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area and has deployed overseas to Kabul, Afghanistan.

Birckhead has two master’s degrees, from the U.S. Army War College and the University of Maryland University College. She participated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, program at Hampton University, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Before the full Senate can vote whether to confirm Birckhead, the chamber’s nominating committee must vote her through.

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Sen. Pamela G. Beidle heads the Senate Executive Nominations Committee. The Democrat from Anne Arundel County said there’s still plenty of time to confirm both appointees, perhaps even as soon as the close of this week.

Sen. Pamela Beidle, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, listens to floor debate at the Maryland State House on Monday, March 20, also known as Crossover Day in Annapolis. General Assembly session rules require bills to pass one chamber — either the House of Delegates or the state Senate — by the end of the day on Monday, to ensure the other chamber will consider it. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Banner)

brenda.wintrode@thebaltimorebanner.com