St. Mary’s County Commissioners Approve Edward Moreland As St. Mary’s County EMS Chief

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — St. Mary’s County commissioners on Tuesday approved an employment contract for Edward Moreland to serve as the county’s new Emergency Medical Services chief, filling a leadership position that has been vacant since July 2024.

Moreland was introduced during the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County March 10 meeting by Jennifer Aubert-Utz, director of the St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services, who said the county conducted an intentional and collaborative search to find the right person for the role.

Moreland brings more than 20 years of management experience in emergency services. His most recent role was as chief operating officer of the Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company, which also included an EMS component. He is also a military veteran.

Speaking to commissioners, Moreland briefly introduced himself and expressed enthusiasm about joining the community.

“What do you think?” a commissioner asked after Moreland reviewed the contract.

“Beautiful county,” Moreland said. “Looking forward to coming down.”

Commissioners welcomed him to St. Mary’s County, with Moreland noting he had already experienced a warm reception.

“This is gonna be good. Director Utz and the entire staff has been wonderful, welcoming, and it’s been a good trip to get here so far,” Moreland said. “Very good. Looking forward to it.”

The EMS chief position has remained open for several months as county leaders worked to identify the right candidate. Aubert-Utz explained the lengthy search was deliberate.

“Since July of 2024. So this has been a, you know, a long process, supported tremendously by human resources, but we were really intentional about getting the right person in the seat,” Aubert-Utz said.

She credited several members of the local EMS leadership team for helping guide the department during the transition, including volunteer EMS Chief Sean Davidson, deputy directors Kirsten Shea and John Gosford, and former deputy director Gerald Gardner.

“It’s been a collective effort to move the ship forward,” Aubert-Utz said.

According to Aubert-Utz, Moreland’s professional references stood out throughout the hiring process.

“What’s most impressive is his references,” she said. “He’s described as the guy you want in the trenches when things go bad, he has the calm, he brings calm to chaos. He’s a team builder, he’s a mentor, and he’s a good public servant.”

Aubert-Utz emphasized that county leadership is confident Moreland is the right choice to guide the EMS division moving forward.

“We are invested in Ed and his success, his success is our success. And we think we’ve found our right person. I don’t think, we know we found our right person,” she said.

Moreland is scheduled to begin his new role Monday. He told commissioners he will commute for a short time while arranging a permanent move.

“I’ll be commuting back and forth for a little bit till we get settled,” Moreland said. “Family commitments up north, but we’ll be back and forth for a few months.”

Commissioners unanimously approved the employment contract and welcomed Moreland to the position.

“I moved to approve the employment contract for the EMS chief for St. Mary’s County Government and authorize the commissioner president to sign the related documents,” a commissioner said during the vote.

With the motion approved, Moreland thanked the board.

“Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioners,” he said.

Watch the introduction for the new EMS chief below at 1:06:07:

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