Governor Elect Tom Wolf Cabinet Appointments
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GOVERNOR ELECT TOM WOLF CABINET APPOINTMENTS OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Katie McGinty – Chief of Staff Katie McGinty has more than twenty-five years of experience in public service. Since 2008, McGinty has been a leader in the clean energy and environmental engineering space. She has led a global business cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated properties and developing renewable energy, and she has served on the Boards of Directors of publicly traded and privately held corporations. McGinty began her career in the office of then-Senator Al Gore, where she worked on initiatives to strengthen patent protections, encourage manufacturing, and support science education. McGinty also contributed to the reauthorization of the landmark Clean Air Act. McGinty served President Bill Clinton as his Deputy Assistant and then as Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality -- the first woman to head the office. In 2003, McGinty was nominated by Governor Edward G. Rendell to become the first woman to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, where she worked on clean water and mercury reduction initiatives and encouraged job growth in the energy sector, including solar and wind jobs. John Hanger - Secretary of Planning and Policy Born in Nairobi, Kenya, John Hanger came to America in 1970 as an immigrant from Ireland. After graduating from Duke University in 1979, where he majored in Public Policy and History, John attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and then became a legal services attorney at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. John was appointed as the Public Advocate for customers of Philadelphia's municipal utilities prior to being nominated by Governor Casey as a commissioner of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. John served as commissioner at PUC from 1993 to 1998, where he expanded low-income and energy conservation programs and led efforts to restructure Pennsylvania's electricity and gas industries. From 1998 to 2008, John was the president of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future and then served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection from 2008 to 2011. Since then, John has been an attorney at Eckert Seamans. John resides in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Mary Isenhour - Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mary Isenhour began her career as a staffer in the Kansas House of Representatives, where from 1991 to 1995, Mary was chief of staff to the Democratic Leader. It was here where Mary worked across party lines to advance legislation that improved the lives of the citizens of Kansas. Mary worked with leadership and committee members to develop and implement committee and floor strategies, and she worked on developing legislative strategy and building coalitions that resulted in legislation in numerous areas. Mary also served as liaison between the Leader and other elected officials, agencies, and political entities. From 1995 to 1999, Mary served as a national political director for the Washington, D.C. based Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, and from 1999 to 2003, Mary served as executive director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC). Following her time at HDCC, Mary served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and as state director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign. Mary owns a consulting firm and served as senior strategist to Tom Wolf for Governor. Currently, Mary is co-chair of Governor-elect Wolf's Inaugural Committee. Obra S. Kernodle IV - Deputy Chief of Staff and Director, Office of Public Liaison Born and raised in Philadelphia, Obra S. Kernodle IV is a graduate of Roman Catholic High School. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University in 2002. Before serving in his current position as senior advisor for Governor-elect Tom Wolf’s transition team, Obra played a key role on the Wolf campaign as both deputy campaign manager and political director. Before joining the Wolf for Governor campaign, Obra worked in Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s Administration as deputy of legislative affairs, helping to coordinate the city’s Actual Value Initiative. In 2012, Obra was part of President Obama’s reelection effort as the Pennsylvania southeast political director. Obra previously served as the political director for both Mayor Nutter’s 2011 reelection bid and District Attorney Seth Williams’ race in 2009. Randy Albright - Secretary, Office of the Budget Randy Albright has nearly three decades of experience in Pennsylvania state government, and he brings a detailed knowledge of the state budget and finances. Albright has drafted numerous pieces of job creation legislation, including the Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund. He has also played a key role in developing cost-savings and passing revenue generating policies over four administrations. Randy is currently the executive director of the Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee, serving in that role since 2009. From 1986 to 2008, Albright was a budget analyst, then senior analyst, for the Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee, where his responsibilities included budget and policy analysis for the Departments of Community and Economic Development, Education, Labor and Industry, Corrections, and Transportation. Albright has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public administration from Pennsylvania State University. He lives in East Pennsboro with his wife, Kim. His daughter, Megan, is currently completing her third year of law school at Temple University. Denise Smyler – General Counsel. Denise Smyler is the founding attorney and owner of the Smyler Firm, which united with Wadud Ahmad and Joseph Zaffarese to form Ahmad, Zaffarese & Smyler, LLC in September 2013. In 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter appointed Denise to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority Board. Mayor Nutter also picked Smyler to serve on the nominating panel for the Board of Property Assessment Appeals. Previously, Denise worked as an assistant district attorney and as legal counsel to the Philadelphia Prison Commissioner before being appointed chief legal counsel to the Philadelphia Police Commissioner. While serving as counsel to the Prison System and Police Department, Denise also advised and represented the city in State and Federal Court proceedings relative to labor matters and worked on drafting and negotiating contracts on behalf of city agencies. Denise has a degree from New York University and earned her J.D. from Georgetown University. Sharon Minnich – Secretary, Office of Administration. Sharon Minnich has extensive experience in state government and is well-versed in issues including budget and finance, tax and revenue, procurement, administration, and information technology. Minnich has led efforts at the state to improve operations, and she managed significant process and system changes, as well as oversaw the implementation of a new financial shared services model for Pennsylvania, the implementation of Pennsylvania’s tax amnesty project, which collected $261 million, and the state’s ERP implementation. While in the Office of Budget, Sharon reduced purchase order invoice processing from 45-60 days to approximately 7 days, which resulted in approximately 30 percent processing savings. Sharon Minnich has extensive experience in state government in the areas of administration, information technology, budget, tax and revenue, and procurement. She has served as the assistant chief information officer for the Commonwealth; chief information officer for the Department of Revenue; deputy secretary for financial administration in the Governor’s Office of the Budget; and deputy secretary for procurement at the Department of General Services. In these roles, Minnich improved operations and managed significant process and system changes. She led the implementation of a new financial shared services model for Pennsylvania, the implementation of Pennsylvania’s tax amnesty project, and the state’s ERP implementation. In addition to her work in state government, Minnich, 45, has worked as a consultant in the private sector, specializing in procurement and technology. Her experience includes positions at Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Meridian Bank, SAP Business Consulting, Phoenix Consulting Services and Deloitte Consulting, LLP, where she is currently employed. Minnich has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Albright College and a Master’s Degree in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. STATE AGENCY HEADS (in order of their announcement) Dennis M. Davin - Secretary, Department of Community and Economic Development Dennis Davin is the director of Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED). Dennis also serves as the director of the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority and executive director of the Industrial Development Authority, Hospital Development Authority, Higher Education Building Authority, and Residential Finance Authority. Dennis is also an active board member of the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Before serving as director of ACED, Dennis was regional director of the Governor’s Action Team for Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to that, he worked at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for eight years before becoming the URA’s director of housing. Dennis also served as the Pittsburgh Housing Development Corporation’s deputy executive director. Eileen H. McNulty – Secretary, Department of Revenue Eileen McNulty served as the