Last week, Governor Walker made additional changes to his staff and cabinet with the appointment of a senior advisor and new cabinet secretary.

The governor appointed Ray Allen as the Secretary of the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and Matt Moroney as a Senior Advisor in the governor’s office.

Allen has been deputy secretary at DFI for four years and worked in the agency for eighteen years. Allen will be taking over for previous secretary Peter Bildsten. The governor has recommended merging DFI and the Department of Safety and Professional Standards (DSPS) in his proposed budget. Just a few weeks ago, Governor Walker announced changes to the leadership of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). In his budget, the governor also proposes to merge WHEDA and WEDC to create a new state agency called the Forward Wisconsin Development Authority.

Matt Moroney will serve as a senior advisor in the governor’s office and will oversee the proposed mergers of the state agencies: DFI and DSPS, and WHEDA and WEDC. Prior to this appointment, Moroney was deputy secretary at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His position at the DNR has not yet been filled.