Lorian Lipton celebrates with staff at Maryland Department of Transportation’s headquarters after she won Employee of the Quarter in Q4 2025 (David Trozzo/MDOT)
Welcome to the People of MDOT. In this series, we’ll profile key figures within the Department who work behind the scenes and make an indelible imprint in Maryland. Our goal is to spotlight individuals, discover their passion and inspiration and learn about the many careers within MDOT.
Today we’re meeting Lorian Lipton. She’s served within MDOT for seven years and is responsible for the Contract Management Practitioner Development program. In this program, students learn about how to manage state contracts through courses and webinars. Lorian says she has trained or mentored over 800 students through the more than 40-hour program. Her initiative has been so impactful that late last year, she won employee of the quarter.
One previous student told Lorian that taking the course enabled them to save the state millions of dollars. The course teaches which warning signs to look out for and to take a proactive approach to mitigate issues. Here’s a little bit more insight into who Lorian is and how she impacts MDOT. Some answers have been edited for brevity.
What do you do at MDOT?
Lorian: I specialize in Contract Management Practitioner Development, where I’ve designed and instructed the MDOT Contract Management Certification course since 2019. The program recently hit a milestone: 1,000 enrollees and 800+ graduates! My focus is on building a culture of continuous improvement. Working closely with the Office of Procurement in each mode, my colleagues and I provide education and tools, such as the MDOT Contract Management Performance Tracker, to ensure excellence in public sector post-award contract management.
What is your favorite part about your job?
Lorian: My favorite part of my job is being able to work with so many different people, across all our businesses in transportation. I love to see the “light-go-on” when people understand new concepts and can apply them to their work immediately.
Lorian Lipton teaches a class via Microsoft Teams about state contracts in Maryland in September 2024 (MDOT Photo)
How does this role help you make an impact in your community?
Lorian: By creating this community and providing education, graduates tell me they are managing contracts and doing their jobs better for MDOT and the State. Through the application of the training and my other educational efforts, and by leveraging our contract management tools, MDOT has shown a decrease in cost overruns, improvement in compliance, minimization of post-award contract risk, and a better realization of spend and overall performance.
What do you want your legacy to be at MDOT?
Lorian: I hope that when I retire, the MDOT Contract Management Practitioner Development programs and community continue to inform and educate the future contract managers at MDOT so that we can continue to improve our ability to execute contracts on-time, on-budget, and with the quality we intended.
Jessie Karangu is the digital media content manager at the Maryland Department of Transportation.