This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Maryland’s former Commerce Secretary and GOP gubernatorial candidate Kelly Schulz has found a running mate from within the Hogan administration.
Schulz and Dr. Jeff Woolford, an Air Force veteran and assistant Health secretary, were in Annapolis on Tuesday morning to file to put their names on the ballot for the June 28 primary.
“Today is an exciting day for our campaign as we introduce Marylanders to our next lieutenant governor, Jeff Woolford,” Schulz said in a statement. “Jeff’s professional experience, personal character, and life story make him extremely qualified to serve as our next lieutenant governor. I look forward to working with him in helping Maryland be safe, steady, and prosperous.”
Schulz said their campaign would focus on the three key issues they hear from voters throughout the state: combatting violent crime, public education and Maryland’s economy.
Woolford, a Sykesville native, had a 30-year career in the U.S. Air Force, starting as an aircraft mechanic and working his way up to fighter pilot and then medical officer, flight surgeon, and pilot-physician, a rare position in the USAF. He retired from the military in 2019 and went almost immediately into state government service, first as chief of staff at the Department of Human Resources, and since April 2021 as assistant secretary and chief medical officer at the Maryland Department of Health, where he has been overseeing the state’s mobile COVID-19 vaccination clinics and other public health programs.
During his military service, Woolford was deployed to Afghanistan and served in tours of duty in the United Kingdom, Germany, and South Korea. He is currently a Lt. Colonel in the Maryland Air National Guard.
Woolford has six higher education degrees, including master’s degrees in business administration and public health from Johns Hopkins University, in addition to his medical degree. He is the co-founder and chair of Parallax Enterprises LLC, a Pikesville-based medical technology company.
“It is a tremendous honor to be part of this ticket and to run alongside Kelly Schulz as we continue to work toward a brighter future for all Marylanders,” Woolford said in a statement. “I’m humbled by the opportunity and look forward to meeting with voters in every corner of the state. Over the last seven years, Maryland has made a lot of progress and I am committed to making sure we continue in the same direction.”
Schulz, 53, has aligned her campaign closely with Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R), and his administration, which she joined as secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation in 2015. Schulz became secretary of Commerce in 2019 and left the administration in January to focus on the campaign full-time.
After filing on Tuesday, Woolford, 50, confirmed that he also would be stepping down from his post in the Hogan administration.
