Khalil Zaied Named Deputy Mayor as Baltimore DPW Leadership Shifts

Baltimore’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will see a major leadership shift as Director Khalil Zaied transitions into a new role as the city’s deputy mayor of operations, city officials announced Tuesday.

Zaied was appointed DPW director in 2024, becoming the department’s 17th leader. At the time, Mayor Brandon Scott praised Zaied’s 25 years of experience in engineering and public works, including nearly two decades of service in Baltimore, among them a previous stint as deputy mayor of operations.

In his new post, Zaied will oversee several critical city agencies: the Department of General Services, Department of Transportation, Board of Elections, and the Parking Authority of Baltimore.

Zaied’s tenure at DPW included notable challenges. In March, Maryland Occupational Safety and Health cited the department after the death of Ronald Silver II, a city worker who died of heat-related illness in August 2024. An investigation revealed DPW failed to adequately protect employees from extreme heat and exposed a culture where workers feared retaliation.

Zaied responded by pledging to change DPW’s internal culture and implementing new heat illness prevention policies. “What you’ve done in the past is in the past,” he told staff. “There are new safety requirements to follow.”

With Zaied’s departure, Mayor Scott announced a series of promotions:

• Matthew Garbark will be nominated as the next DPW director. He is currently interim deputy director and has served in various infrastructure roles over the past decade.
• Alan Robinson will step in as deputy director, leaving his post in the mayor’s office.
• Kendall Abu-Hakim is being nominated to lead the Division of Solid Waste.
• Steve Sharkey will be nominated as the permanent bureau head for Water and Wastewater.

Khalil Zaied Leaves DPW to Become Baltimore’s Deputy Mayor of Operations was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com