Early every morning the Treasurer invests all cash in excess of the state's daily needs in short-term securities. The Treasurer is custodian for all state-owned investments securities, bonds, stocks, etc. The Treasurer is one of nine members of the State Investment Board. The Treasurer, on behalf of the State Finance Committee, issues state bonds to finance state construction projects and pays interest and principal to the state's bondholders.
The Treasurer chairs the Public Deposit Protection Commission which ensures the safety of all public deposits held in qualified commercial banking institutions in the state.
Attorney General. The office of the Attorney General is the largest law firm in the state of Washington. The office is headed by the Attorney General, the state's chief legal officer.
The office is also staffed by attorneys, appointed as Assistant Attorneys General, administrative, investigative, paralegal, secretarial and other staff members. The Attorney General has a broad array of responsibilities unique and necessary to the operations of state government. These responsibilities include: serving as legal counsel to the Governor, members of the Legislature, state officials, and the more than state agencies, boards and commissions; defending the state officials and employees for actions performed in their official capacities; advising and representing the state agencies so they can fulfill their official duties; and issuing legal opinions.
The Attorney General also enforces the Consumer Protection Act, and advises and assists local prosecuting attorneys when requested. State Auditor. The State Auditor has the important responsibility to ensure that state and local governments are accountable to the public they serve. The Washington State Constitution establishes the office as the auditor of all public accounts.
Every public dollar spent by state agencies and local governments comes under the Auditor's purview. The office's primary service is the performance of regular financial and legal compliance audits of all state agencies and local governments. There are more than 2, local governments in Washington including all cities, counties, schools, ports and special purpose districts. Also audited are all state agencies, boards and commissions, including public colleges and universities.
Fraud and other special investigations are also performed. In addition, the Auditor administers the Employee Disclosure, or "Whistleblower Act," and investigates citizen reports of government impropriety. As an elected office, the State Auditor has the independence necessary to objectively perform audits and investigations. Other responsibilities include prescribing local governments' uniform budgeting, accounting and reporting systems; training and technical assistance; prescribing the accounting manual for public school districts jointly with the Superintendent of Public Instruction; annually publishing local government comparative statistics; and coordinating the audit efficiency and quality assurance program.
With a staff of nearly located strategically around the state, the Auditor's Office is able to deliver services effectively and efficiently.
Superintendent of Public Instruction. As head of the state educational agency and Chief Executive Officer of the State Board of Education, the Superintendent is responsible for the administration of the total state kindergarten through twelfth grade education program. This includes administering approximately 46 percent of the state general fund, and providing the following services:.
Insurance Commissioner. Consumer protection is the most important job of the Insurance Commissioner. When the office was created by the first state Legislature in , its main function was simply to register insurance companies that wanted to do business in Washington.
Today, the role has expanded to include overall industry regulation, making sure companies meet all their obligations and abide by the rigorous financial and legal standards set for doing business in this state. About 50 of the 1, authorized insurers in Washington State today are domestic insurers, which means they have their headquarters in the state.
In addition, the agency is responsible for the testing, licensing and oversight of more than 36, individual companies and licenses each year. Any citizen may file a complaint with the Insurance Commissioner and request an investigation of that complaint. The Consumer Protection Division routinely fields more than , contacts a year, many of them via a special toll-free hot line: In the remaining 5 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials designated to succeed the governor include the secretary of state and leader of the senate.
For more information on lieutenant governors and other executive branch officials, see the Appointment Power section below. All states except Oregon provide for the impeachment of governors. As in the case of the federal government, the impeachment process starts with the lower body of the legislature and the trial is conducted by the upper body in every state but Alaska—where the process is reversed, and Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature charged with the full impeachment process.
In most cases, impeachment requires a majority of members, while conviction generally requires a two-thirds or other special majority.
Should a governor be impeached, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor in the vast majority of states. For more information on lieutenant governors, see the Appointment Power section below. Governors play two broad roles in relation to state legislatures. First, they may be empowered to call special legislative sessions, provided in most cases that the purpose and agenda for the sessions are set in advance. Second, and more familiarly, governors coordinate and work with state legislatures in:.
Governors develop and submit annual or biennial budgets for review and approval by the legislature. These tools allow governors and their budget staff to play a strong role in establishing priorities for the use of state resources. Governors often use State of the State messages to outline their legislative platforms, and many governors prepare specific legislative proposals to be introduced on their behalf.
In addition, state departments and agencies may pursue legislative initiatives with gubernatorial approval. Executive branch officials often are called to testify on legislative proposals, and governors and other executive branch leaders will seek to mobilize public opinion and interest groups in favor of or opposition to specific legislative proposals. Governors may use their role as party leaders to encourage support for legislative initiatives, and along with department heads and staff may seek to influence the progress of legislation through regular meetings with legislators and legislative officials.
All 50 state governors have the power to veto whole legislative measures. In a large majority of states a bill will become law unless it is vetoed by the governor within a specified number of days, which vary among states. In a smaller number of states, bills will die pocket veto unless they are formally signed by the governor, also within a specified number of days. Legislatures may override vetoes, usually by a supermajority vote.
Many gubernatorial appointments require legislative confirmation. Governors interact with their legislatures to help ensure that their priorities, goals, and accomplishments are accurately presented and positively received during oversight hearings and other legislative activities that address and evaluate executive branch implementation of legislatively mandated programs and services.
Frequently, these appointments are subject to confirmation by one or both houses of the state legislature. While often pro forma in nature, the confirmation process with respect to executive branch appointments can be used by legislatures to expand their influence on governors and their policies.
Accordingly, many governors consult with key legislators before making formal nominations. The roles played by boards and commissions vary considerably by state and by program. In some states appointed boards have the primary responsibility for individual programs and agencies and are responsible for the selection of department and agency heads.
This is particularly true in the field of education, but boards still retain responsibility for a broad range of other programs in fields such as labor, transportation and health and human services. In many states the members of these boards are named or nominated by the governor. In addition, he ran the State Energy Office, and was charged with coordination of renewable energy and energy efficiency issues. McDonnell also served several years as executive policy manager for former Commissioner Pamela A.
Witmer of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, focusing on electric, natural gas and water issues, as well as cybersecurity and the impact of environmental regulation on energy markets. Throughout his career, McDonnell has worked to achieve success in the nexus between energy and environmental issues. He and his wife Colleen have four children, and live in Harrisburg.
In that role, he developed hands-on experience conducting investigations and interviewing witnesses and suspects to build cases against those who defrauded the welfare system. He was then promoted to the position of Welfare Fraud Investigator Supervisor, where he trained and worked with OSIG investigators and agents to further their investigations. He also realized the important part the OSIG has in ensuring those who are truly entitled to benefits receive them.
A benefits system must be built on integrity, and OSIG is designed to maintain that integrity. Upon his promotion to the role of Operations Manager for the Central Region, Miller began to turn his attention toward what has become a career-long focus: increasing government efficiency through streamlining processes.
He led a team through a detailed process review of the Long-Term Care Program, working with staff to codify existing and institute new procedures that would more efficiently implement the program.
Miller soon became a bureau director, where he led the consolidation of two separate bureaus into the Bureau of Administration, Policy, and Training, saving taxpayer money and creating more effective business processes. He was responsible for the overall administration of the agency, along with extensive policy, program, and regulatory review.
These meetings fostered new and innovative coordination between the agencies, leading to the creation of the Electronic Referral System. Miller has spent his career working to make state government function better, and he continued that work in his role as the Deputy State Inspector General. This new training program eventually led to what is now the Commonwealth Investigator Training Program.
Newsome previously served on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, to which he was appointed in December and confirmed in April He brings nearly four decades of private sector business experience, including accounting, finance and management, to the secretary of administration position. Newsome was a senior executive in the retail and wholesale distribution industry, serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Wolf Organization and playing a key role in transitioning the company from a traditional two-step distributor to a national sourcing company of kitchen and bath cabinets, decking, and other building products.
Following that, from until , he served as controller at the York Daily Record, where he oversaw finance and accounting and human resources, including union contract negotiations and participated in the sale and transfer of newspaper ownership.
Noe Ortega was nominated to serve as Secretary of Education in October As commissioner for higher education, he led the work of the agency aimed at closing the postsecondary attainment gaps that have persisted among historically underrepresented populations and communities of color in Pennsylvania. Additionally, Mr. Prior to joining PDE, Mr. Ortega spent eight years at the University of Michigan, where he held several academic and administrative roles.
While most of his research focused on postsecondary access and success for all students, his most recent publications examine how public investment in higher education influences decision-making at colleges and universities. Ortega spent nearly a decade working in the areas of financial aid and enrollment management at both public and private universities in Texas, and he also served as a P Specialist for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Ortega also spent nearly seven years as director of a language institute in Japan where he trained teachers in the area of early childhood language acquisition. He has been involved in numerous local, regional, state and federal responses throughout his career including the World Trade Center attack on September 11, , Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy.
He is a native of St. Clair, Schuylkill County and currently lives in Cumberland County with his wife and their two children. Betsy H. Phillips — Director of Scheduling Betsy started in the scheduling office in and has performed all office positions prior to being named director of the office for the Wolf Administration. Tara also practiced as a licensed social worker in central Pennsylvania, working with families and young children in early intervention. Prior to the administration, Elizabeth spent over a decade serving in various communications roles for the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus.
She began her career as a newspaper reporter in her hometown, Philadelphia. Elizabeth earned a B. Russell Redding — Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding previously served as secretary of the Department of Agriculture from to , where he helped establish a comprehensive economic development program that provided state funds that leveraged private capital to help agriculture expand, grow, and create jobs.
Redding was also instrumental in preserving nearly 3, farms. Russell Redding assumed duties as acting secretary of agriculture in Pennsylvania on January 20, , and was confirmed by the Senate on May 13, Yassmin Gramian, PE, serves as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation PennDOT where she oversees programs and policies affecting highways, urban and rural public transportation, airports, railroads, ports, and waterways. Under her leadership, the department is directly responsible for nearly 40, miles of highway and roughly 25, bridges.
Drawing on her years of technical expertise as an engineer in the transportation and infrastructure industry, she is focused on developing these forward-looking strategies that deliver innovative solutions for communities and transportation networks across the Commonwealth. Gramian has more than 30 years of experience in operations, design, and management of transportation infrastructure systems, including highway, tolling, bridge, and railroad projects.
Prior to joining PennDOT she served as a senior vice president and business development director for a leading international engineering firm. She previously served as senior vice president for a global architecture, civil engineering and construction management firm, with responsibility for operations across Pennsylvania — namely in Philadelphia, King of Prussia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
Major General Mark J. General Schindler deployed as commander of the 55th Military Engagement Team in Jordan during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in General Schindler was born in Buffalo, New York. Army War College in They currently reside in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania.
Secretary Smith has also worked alongside Governor Wolf and other Wolf Administration Officials to ensure that fighting the opioid crisis remains a priority on the federal, state, and local levels. She currently resides in Jonestown with her four children. In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys participating as an active member of her church.
Meg comes to Pennsylvania with a background in affordable housing, homelessness, and health care policy, having spent 10 years working in the nonprofit industry in the Denver area. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband Micah and two daughters Maeve and Sloane. Gregory G.
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