Gov. Elect Mike DeWine has nominated leaders for 14 more state departments under his administration. The Senate gets the final say. But many of them have decades of experience in the field their agencies will deal with.
Longtime Republican state Sen. Randy Gardner will be chancellor of Higher Education. Lori Criss will be director of the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services – she’s been working with behavioral health providers for 20 years. Veteran Department of Transportation administrator Jack Marchbanks is the pick for ODOT director. DeWine says many qualified people will be part of his team.
“We have people who are making significant sacrifices, either monetarily or otherwise," DeWine says.
Some, like Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, have served under Democratic administrations. Gov. John Kasich’s Insurance Director Jillian Froment will stay on, and his former Adjutant General Deborah Ashenhurst would head Veterans Services. And with a number of women and minority appointees, the cabinet could be the most diverse in state history.
Here's a complete list of the people DeWine nominated today:
Ursel McElroy, Nominee for Director of the Department of Aging
Dorothy Pelanda, Nominee for Director of the Department of Agriculture
Jeffrey Davis, Nominee for the Director of the Department of Developmental Disabilities
Randy Gardner, Nominee for Chancellor of the Department of Higher Education
Jillian Froment, Nominee for Director of the Department of Insurance
Kimberly Hall, Nominee for the Director of Jobs and Family Services
Lori Criss, Nominee for Director of the Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services
Maureen Corcoran, Nominee for Director of the Department of Medicaid
Jack Marchbanks, Nominee for Director of the Department of Transportation
Major General (Retired) Deborah Ashenhurst, Nominee for Director of the Department of Veterans Services
Ryan Gies, Nominee for Director of the Department of Youth Services
Stephanie McCloud, Nominee for Administrator of the Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Laurie Stevenson, Nominee Director of the Environmental Protection Agency
Andy Wilson, Senior Advisor for Criminal Justice Policy
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