Last week we looked at the first batch of commissioners that then Governor-elect Walz appointed to his administration. This week, we’ll look at the rest of Governor Walz’s administration choices.
Steve Grove as Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development
“When looking for a Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, I was mindful of finding a leader who understands the values of investing in talent from rural towns to urban neighborhoods, who has experience with the business community, and who is an innovative leader who can guide our state into the economy of the future. Steve Grove is that leader,” said Walz. “I look forward to working with Steve to address our looming workforce shortage and engage all talent available to us by investing in our workforce in communities of color and Greater Minnesota.”
About Steve Grove
Steve Grove, 41, is the founding director of Google’s News Lab, a global division of the company that partners with media companies and startups to drive innovation in the news industry. In that role, he led the development of the Google News Initiative, a $300M commitment from the company to help journalism thrive in the digital age. He has built teams in over a dozen countries and launched partnerships in over 50 countries, including a global technology training effort that trains over 500,000 journalists in person and online every year. Steve also leads Google’s civic engagement work, including the company’s non-partisan voter information and get-out-the-vote outreach efforts. He previously led YouTube’s first news and politics team, building a global partnership effort for political candidates, news organizations, nonprofits, and citizen journalists. Steve wrote for The Boston Globe and ABC News prior to joining Google. He has served as an advisor to the White House and State Department on countering violent extremism, and serves on the advisory boards of Witness, a video human rights nonprofit; and Report for America, a nationwide service organization to improve local news. Steve and his wife Mary founded a nonprofit called Silicon North Stars, which helps youth from underserved communities in Minnesota pursue careers in technology.
A native of Northfield, Minnesota, Steve received his Bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2018, the Grove moved from Silicon Valley to Minneapolis, Minnesota with their two-year-old twins.
Nancy Leppink as Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industry
“Nancy understands that Minnesota’s prosperity depends on a workforce that is prepared through lifelong education and training for the future of work,” said Walz. “We are thrilled she will be moving back to her home of Minnesota to help us work toward innovative and forward-thinking solutions.”
About Nancy Leppink
Born in Two Harbors, Nancy Leppink, 60, has worked to protect the rights of workers since 1985. Nancy began her career as an Assistant Attorney General with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, and later as Chief General Counsel for Department of Labor and Industry. After 24 years in state service, she was appointed by the Obama Administration to be the Deputy Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor and led the Division as its Acting Administrator. During her tenure, she reimagined the Wage and Hour Division as an innovative and proactive enforcement agency, rebuilding its capacity, re-engineering its compliance strategies, and refocusing its resources on protecting low wage workers and creating a level playing field for businesses seeking to create decent jobs. Nancy currently serves as a branch chief for the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and is responsible for their international work assisting the governments and the employer and worker organizations of its 187-member states to improve their labor administration, labor inspection, and occupational safety and health capacities.
Nancy earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and her law degree from the University of Minnesota. She and her husband have two sons, and are moving back to the Twin Cities this year.
Steve Kelley as Commissioner of the Department of Commerce
“Steve Kelley has been a leader in telecommunications and energy policy for decades, working across parties to do good work for Minnesotans,” said Walz. “As we think about bridging the divide to build One Minnesota, Steve has the background and skills to bring this vision to reality.”
About Steve Kelley
Steve Kelley, 65, is a Senior Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Before joining the Humphrey School in 2007, Steve served in the Minnesota Senate for 10 years and the Minnesota House of Representatives for 4 years. During his legislative service, Steve chaired the Senate Education Committee and served on committees dealing with energy and telecommunications regulation in both the House and the Senate. He was one of the Legislature’s leading experts on telecommunications policy, including issues related to broadband service. Steve teaches courses in education law and policy, science, technology and environmental policy, and global venture design. One of his projects at the University of Minnesota has been assisting with the bipartisan Renewable Energy Policy Exchange through which the University introduces Minnesota policymakers to Germany’s energy policy and brings German experts to Minnesota to share policy ideas. Before his election to the Legislature, Steve was a member of the Board of Directors of Medica (formerly Physicians Health Plan) and a pubic member of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Throughout his legislative service, Steve practiced commercial litigation in Minneapolis, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex cases involving securities fraud, accounting malpractice, and other financial transactions.
Steve received his Bachelor’s degree from Williams College and his law degree from Columbia University. He and his life, Sophie, have two children and four grandchildren, and currently live in Hopkins.
Cynthia Bauerly as Commissioner of the Department of Revenue
“Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly is a proven and tireless leader, and we are excited to have her stay at the Department of Revenue as part of our Administration,” said Walz. “With a dedication to public service, Commissioner Bauerly brings deep expertise in revenue and economic security. She is unequivocally qualified to continue leading this agency in ensuring the state’s tax system works for everybody.”
About Cynthia Bauerly
Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly, 47, was raised in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. She has served as Commissioner of Revenue since January 2015 after joining the department as Deputy Commissioner in the spring of 2014. As Commissioner, she oversees an agency with more than 1,500 employees that manages over 30 different taxes and collects over $20.5 billion annually. Prior to joining the Department of Revenue, Cynthia served as Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) where she led the department’s work of providing economic security for transitioning workers and workforce training and readiness. Cynthia has extensive experience in law, management, and public policy. She has served in key leadership and management roles, including as a Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission from 2008-2013, and as Chair of the agency in 2011. Previously, she worked in the United States Senate developing and implementing a broad policy agenda that included working with the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. She has also worked in private practice in both Minnesota and Washington, D.C., most recently as a lawyer at Fredrikson & Byron in Minneapolis.
Cynthia earned her Bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, her law degree from Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington, and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University’s School of Environmental and Public Affairs. She and her husband live in Minneapolis.
Mark Phillips as Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board
“We are excited to announce that Commissioner Mark Phillips will continue on with the Walz-Flanagan Administration at the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board,” said Walz. “Commissioner Phillips is dedicated to helping our local communities in northeastern Minnesota not just survive, but thrive.”
About Mark Phillips
Commissioner Mark Phillips, 68, is a native Iron Ranger, growing up in Eveleth, MN. Mark served as Commissioner of the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation under Governor Mark Dayton’s administration. He has more than 35 years of leadership in development and finance, including launching new and creative programs for community and economic development, real estate development and business financing. Previously, Mark served as the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and as the Director of Business Development at Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. He is a recipient of the Economic Development Association of Minnesota’s Career Achievement Award.
Mark is a graduate of the Minnesota Executive Program within the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. He and his wife Patricia live on Lake Vermilion and have two grown children and two grandchildren.
John Harrington as Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety
“I am proud to announce John Harrington as the next Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety,” said Walz. “John brings broad experience and deep expertise in public safety. He not only talks the talk, but walks the walk when it comes to diversity and inclusion. We are looking forward to working with him to continue building an equitable, safe, and just state.”
About John Harrington
John Harrington, 62, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to Minnesota to begin his police career in 1977 at the Saint Paul Police Department, working his way up the chain of command from patrol officer. He was selected Chief of Police in 2004 and served in that role until 2010. As Chief of Police, he addressed some of Saint Paul’s most difficult problems resulting in numerous successes, including the development of innovative programs that have greatly reduced domestic violence and gang involvement. John was appointed to serve as the Metro Transit Chief of Police for the Twin Cities area in 2012, overseeing significant growth of the agency and increasing diversity of the department from 5 to 50 percent. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Minnesota State Senator from the east side of St. Paul from 2010 to 2012. John has been on the faculty at Metropolitan State University, Saint Mary’s University, and St. Thomas University where he teaches Leadership, Demographics, Community Oriented Policing, and Gangs. He is the founding member of the Asian American and Black Police officer Associations, and helped launch and chairs the board at Ujamaa Place a non-profit agency that works with African-American men to transition them out of prison and gangs into productive community members.
John received his Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth University and Master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas. He is the father of five adult children and has 16 grandchildren, and currently resides in the Twin Cities.
Larry Herke as Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs
“Those who’ve raised their hand to serve deserve the best care and services our state can provide. Larry Herke is a demonstrated leader and public servant, who understands this better than anyone else.” said Walz. “He brings military and government experience to the role, but more importantly is unequivocally devoted to the betterment of people’s lives. As a veteran myself, I am proud to have another veteran join our Administration as the Commissioner of the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
About Larry Herke
A native of Mankato, Larry Herke, 55, is current the Director of the Office of Enterprise Sustainability for the State of Minnesota. In that role he guides and supports 24 cabinet level agencies as they employ sustainable strategies to save money, conserve resources, and improve the environment. The Office of Enterprise Sustainability (OES) develops sustainable strategies that that can be replicated and shared between agencies in the areas of energy, fleet, water, solid waste, procurement and greenhouse gas. Prior to his current position with the State of Minnesota, Larry served 31 years in the U.S. Army and the Minnesota National Guard. While in the National Guard he deployed to Tallil, Iraq where he served as the Chief of Staff for the 5,200 Soldier, 1/34 Brigade Combat Team. Upon completion of the deployment to Iraq, Larry commanded the 1/134 Brigade Special Troops Battalion located in Bloomington, MN. In his last position with the Minnesota National Guard, he served as the Construction and Facilities Management Officer where he was responsible for all real property improvements. His awards and decorations from his military service include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Combat Action Badge. Larry serves on the board of the Minnesota Military Museum as the Vice President of Facilities.
Larry received his Bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University at Mankato. He and his wife of 33 years, Debbie, have three sons and live in Sauk Centre.