Gov.-elect Scott Walker today announced his selections to head the state agencies. Below are the names and background of each appointee:
Dept. of Administration – Rep. Mike Huebsch – current Republican Assemblyman from La Crosse areas; former Speaker of the Assembly.
Dept. of Natural Resources – Cathy Stepp – former State Senator from 2002-06; currently Vice President of Magnum Truck and Equipment and President of Stepp Consulting, LLC.
Dept. of Transportation – Rep. Mark Gottlieb – current Republican Assemblyman from Port Washington; a civil engineer.
Dept. of Revenue – Rick Chandler – former Dept. of Revenue Secretary under Gov. Tommy G. Thompson; currently a lobbyist for a number of business groups, including Association of Wisconsin Realtors; recently has been serving on Gov.-elect Walker’s Transition Team.
Dept. of Health Services – Dennis G. Smith – former administrator of federal Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid under President George W. Bush; currently a Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and Managing Director at Leavitt Partners in Washington, D.C.
Dept. of Commerce – Paul Jadin – former Green Bay mayor and head of Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
Dept. of Children and Families – Eloise Anderson – former administrator of the Division of Community Services under Gov. Tommy G. Thompson from 1988-92; currently President of Anderson Resources Management Services in California; lecturer at California State University, Sacramento; former Director of the Project for American Family at the Claremont Institute.
Dept. of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) – Ben Brancel – former Assembly Speaker from Portage area; former DATCP Secretary under Gov. Tommy G. Thompson; farmer.
Dept. of Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) – Wyman Winston – former WHEDA official; currently Senior Commercial Manager for Atlanta Development Authority.
Dept. of Workforce Development – Manuel “Manny” Perez – currently co-owner of JNA Staffing, Inc., which provides temporary, temp to hire, and direct staffing solution in Milwaukee.
Dept. of Tourism – Stephanie Klett – currently host of the “Discover Wisconsin” Television and Radio Series.
Dept. of Regulation and Licensing—Dave Ross – Mr. Ross is a lifelong Wisconsin resident who owned his own business for 20 years before being elected Mayor of Superior.
Dept. of Financial Institutions—Peter Bildsten – grew up in Baraboo and is a 30-year veteran of the Wisconsin financial services industry, serving as Chairman and CEO of First National Bank and Trust Company of Baraboo for six years before leading a successful merger with Wells Fargo Bank in 2002.
Dept. of Corrections – Gary Hamblin – served as a professional law enforcement officer for 39 years starting by serving for the Sawyer Co Sheriff’s Dept, the Dane County Sheriff from 1997 to 2006, and as administrator of the Division of Law Enforcement Services with the state Department of Justice under Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.