Indiana Governor-Elect Eric Holcomb has made more picks for his cabinet. Here is a complete list of all the picks to date.
CHIEF OF STAFF
Earl Goode
Earl Goode is a former utility company president who served as chief of staff to Governor Mitch Daniels for over six years. Earl’s current civic involvement includes serving as vice chairman of the Indiana Motorsports Commission and as a member of several not-for-profit and public company boards. His past civic involvement includes serving as chairman of the board of the Indiana Sports Corporation and as president of the Indianapolis Capitol Improvement Board.
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF
Danny Lopez
Danny Lopez began his work in politics, advocacy, and government in 2004 as co-managing partner of Capitol Gains, Corp., a Miami-based political consulting and Spanish-language media relations firm with a client portfolio ranging from national and international candidates to domestic and multi-national corporations. Currently serving as Chief of Staff for Governor-elect Eric Holcomb during his time as Lieutenant Governor, He most recently held the role of State Director for Senator Dan Coats following years of service in the administrations of both Governors Mike Pence and Mitch Daniels. He was named to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s prestigious Forty Under 40 list for 2016, was a Board Member on both the State of Indiana Charter School Board and the Greater Indianapolis YMCA, and was Statewide Outreach Subcommittee Co-Chair for the 2012 Super Bowl Committee. Danny is a graduate of Florida International University and holds a Masters degree in Sports Administration and Marketing from Georgia State University.
DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
Allison Karns
Allison Karns was the Policy Director for Public Safety for Governor Mike Pence. A graduate of Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Allison has served in various legislative roles at the U.S Congress in Washington D.C., at the Indiana General Assembly, at the Indiana Public Retirement Fund, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security where she also served as General Counsel. She is a graduate of the Lugar Series. Allison lives in Carmel with her husband and two daughters.
GENERAL COUNSEL
Joe Heerens
Joe Heerens has served as General Counsel of the Indianapolis Airport Authority since 2010, previously serving as Chief Legislative Counsel, Policy Director and Assistant General Counsel for Governor Mitch Daniels. He also served as Senior Vice President of legal, regulatory and government affairs for Marsh Supermarkets. Joe is a graduate of DePauw University and attended Indiana University School of Law.
LT. GOVERNOR CHIEF OF STAFF
Tracy Barnes
Tracy Barnes currently serves as Deputy Auditor of Operations in the Auditor of State’s office where he leverages his expertise and experiences to improve efficiency and ensure integrity of the office’s financial and payroll processes, system and reporting. Tracy’s career began in Information Resources at Butler University before moving into consulting for Accenture. After Accenture, Tracy transitioned to CIBER, Inc. where he consulted for clients across the United States and the United Kingdom. Tracy then decided to start his own consulting firm, ENTAP, providing technical project management, business process and systems analysis, and technology strategy and planning support to numerous higher education institutions, government entities and commercial vendors to successfully complete numerous projects. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Butler University with a minor in Mathematics and has received a number of accolades including being a member of the 2011 IBJ 40 under 40 class and a recipient of the Junior Achievement’s Leadership in Technology award. Tracy was recently appointed by the Governor to the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity and he also serves on the Board of Directors for NXG Youth Motorsports, Inc.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Susana Duarte De Suarez
Susana Duarte De Suarez serves as Councilwoman at Large and President of the Zionsville Town Council with additional leadership roles on the Zionsville Safety Board, Board of Police Commissioners, and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. While based in DC early in her career, Susana was appointed by President Bush to serve in various positions including Assistant Director for Regional Operations for FEMA and CCO for The Peace Corps. She served as executive director of the Hispanic International Trade Council, and deputy director for political coalitions with the Republican National Committee. She is the president and CEO of Media Moon Communications, a global communications firm based in Zionsville. Susana earned her degree from the Ohio State University and is a graduate of the Senior Management Program at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. She and her husband live in Zionsville and have two young children.
FINANCE
Micah Vincent, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Micah Vincent has served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Governor Mike Pence and previously served as the OMB’s General Counsel and Policy Director. He has also served as Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Governance Finance and served the Daniels administration as Assistant General Counsel and Policy Director for Utilities, Energy, and Higher Education and a number of other roles. He earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue University and his law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Jason Dudich, State Budget Director:
Jason Dudich serves as a benefit advisor with LHD Benefit Advisors, LLC, consulting and advising public and private sector employers on employee benefit plans and services. Prior to his work at LHD, he served as the Chief of Staff to Indianapolis Mayor Gregory Ballard. Jason also served as the controller of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis, Marion County, and as the Director of the Office of Financial Management. He has also served as the Associate Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. He currently serves on various boards associated with city and country operations and is a graduate of Indiana University.
Adam Krupp, Department of Revenue Commissioner:
Adam Krupp serves as General Counsel to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Special Counsel to Governor Mike Pence. Previously, Adam was an attorney with Kasowitz, Benson, Torres &Friedman LLP. He also served as Deputy Director and In-House Counsel for the state of Indiana’s Division of Family Resources, in addition to being an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. Krupp is a graduate of Purdue University and the Indiana University School of Law.
Dan Huge, Indiana Finance Authority Director:
Dan Huge has served as the Director of the Indiana Finance Authority since his appointment by Governor Mike Pence in 2015. Previously, he was Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at the Indiana Financial Authority and served as interim director of the agency. Prior to joining the IFA, Dan was CFO of the Capital Improvement Board and Executive Director of the Indiana Bond Bank. He also worked as CFO for Air Road Express, Executive Director of the Indianapolis Local Public Improvement Bond Bank, and as a controller for Southwestern Bell Freedom Phone and Towne Air Freight. Dan is a graduate of Purdue University.
Courtney Schaafsma, Department of Local Government Finance Commissioner:
Courtney Schaafsma has served as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance since being appointed in 2014. She previously served as the Department’s Budget Division Director, originally joining the Department as the Data Analysis Division Director in 2010. Prior to joining the Department, Courtney was a local government financial advisor with Crowe Horwath LLP. She her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Public Affairs through Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Bloomington and she is a Certified Government Financial Manager through the Association of Government Accountants and a Level II Assessor-Appraiser.
Jim Schellinger, Secretary of Commerce
Since joining the IEDC, Jim Schellinger has traveled the state, giving presentations to and meeting with local and regional economic development boards, business leaders and elected officials to discuss Indiana’s economy and opportunities to collaborate at the local and state level on economic initiatives. During his tenure as president at the IEDC, companies have committed to creating more than 29,000 new jobs and investing $4.74 billion in their Indiana operations. He has played a key role in critical economic development successes for the state, including DowDuPont and Salesforce. As president, Schellinger has been an integral part of leading the Regional Cities Initiative as well as the state’s $1 Billion Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Dr. Jerome Adams, ISDH Commissioner:
Dr. Adams was appointed by Governor Mike Pence as the Indiana State Health Commissioner in October of 2014. He also serves as secretary of Indiana State Department of Health’s executive board as chairman of the Indiana State Trauma Care Committee and co-chairman of the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Governing Council. Dr. Adams is a member of the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana, the National Governor’s Association (NGA) Health Workforce Policy Academy Core Team, and the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse. Dr. Adams currently serves as assistant professor of clinical anesthesia at Indiana University School of Medicine and as a staff anesthesiologist at Eskenazi Health, where he is Chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. He has served in the leadership of several professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, and on the Boards of the Indiana State Medical Association and Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists. He is immediate past Chair of the Professional Diversity Committee for the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He earned a BS in biochemistry and a BA in biopsychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has been a researcher at medical schools in both the Netherlands and Zimbabwe and has worked under Nobel Prize winner Dr. Tom Cech. He earned his Medical Doctorate at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and his Masters of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Jennifer Walthall, Deputy Commissioner:
Jennifer Walthall, M.D., M.P.H. was appointed as the Indiana State Department of Health Deputy State Health Commissioner and Director for Health Outcomes by Governor Pence in November of 2014. Dr. Walthall is currently an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. She also serves as the Division Chief for Pediatric Emergency Medicine and the Program Director for the Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Residency. Previously, she worked as attending staff physician for Methodist Hospital Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center and Riley Hospital for Children. She has also held a number of roles specializing in clinical emergency medicine and pediatrics as both an academic and practicing physician. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Houston Honors College and her Master in Public Health at Indiana University. She earned her Medical Doctorate at Indiana University School of Medicine.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Bryan Langley, Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security:
Bryan Langley works as the Global Security Manager at Cummins, Inc. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton Consulting. He worked in the White House from 2005-2009 as the U.S. Assistant Chief of Protocol, and served in various roles on the Bush-Cheney campaign. He also worked in Washington, D.C. in the Department of Education. Brian has a degree in Criminal Justice from California State University-Bakersfield.
Rob Carter, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Corrections:
Carter has served as the Executive Director of Statewide Security & Safety at Ivy Tech Community College since 2013. Previously, he served as Director of the Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) where he managed over 1,000 full-time employees and was the main point of contact to the Indiana General Assembly, Congressional Delegation and the US Department of Interior, as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers and the National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS). Carter also served on the Indiana Counter Terrorism and Security Council and was a key player in the streamlining of DNR permit efficiency. In addition, he was an integral part of the Governor’s Healthy River Initiative and has acquired and protected over 50,000 acres of land and recreational trails. Carter has also previously served as Director of DNR’s Division of Law Enforcement after spending 16 years serving in the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. He was twice elected Sheriff in both 1998 and 2002 and was the youngest elected Sheriff in Indiana at age 32. Carter earned his Associate of Science in Criminal Justice from Ivy Tech Community College and will complete his Bachelor of Science in Public Safety from Franklin University in June. He also graduated with honors from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
Reappointments include:
Dave Murtaugh, Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Institute:
Dave Murtaugh has served as the Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Institute since his appointment by Governor Mike Pence in 2015. He previously served as Senior Advisor in the Office of United States Senator Dan Coats after serving eight years as a United States Marshal. He also served as Acting Deputy Director for State, Local, and Tribal Affairs in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy during his tenure as U.S. Marshal. Murtaugh began his career at the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, where he moved up the ranks, serving as Patrolman, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain-Commander of the Enforcement Division, and eventually as sheriff for two terms. Murtaugh earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University – Northwest and graduated from the FBI National Academy.
Ed Littlejohn, Director of the Indiana State Department of Toxicology:
Ed Littlejohn was appointed to be the Director of the Indiana State Department of Toxicology in 2012 by Governor Mitch Daniels. Previously, he was the laboratory commander for the Indiana State Police. Ed served in the Indiana State Police for 38 years, including 34 years in various laboratory and forensic roles. He began his ISP career as a road patrol officer in 1974 and became a polygraph examiner in 1978. He became laboratory manager of the ISP Fort Wayne Regional Laboratory in 1983 and served in that capacity for 10 years before joining the state laboratory division in Indianapolis in 1993. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Purdue University in Fort Wayne.
Gwen Horth, Chairman of the Indiana Parole Board:
Gwen Horth was appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Parole Board in February of 2015. Horth graduated from Valparaiso University, is a founding board member of the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana and has been a volunteer at the Indiana Women’s Prison for several years. Previously, Horth served as chair of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) Nominating Committee, as Washington Township Trustee in Marion County and as an aide to former Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith.
AGENCY HEADS WHO WILL REPORT TO THE LT. GOVERNOR
Ted McKinney, Indiana State Department of Agriculture:
Ted McKinney was appointed as Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture in January 2014, and in 2015 additional responsibilities were added as the Director of Agribusiness Economic Development within the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). Prior to government service, Ted was director of Global Corporate Affairs for Elanco Animal Health and also served in a number of roles at DowAgroSciences, the last one as Leader of Food Chain, Industry, and States Affairs. He serves as a co-chair of the National FFA Conventions Local Organizing Committee for Indianapolis and is a member of numerous boards including the Indiana State Fair Commission and Board. Ted is a graduate of Purdue University.
Jacob Sipe, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority:
J. Jacob Sipe was appointed by Governor Mike Pence to serve as the Executive Director of the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority in 2013. He has been with the agency since 1999 in positions such as interim executive director and head of the real estate department. Jacob serves on the advisory council for LISC Indianapolis and the Affordable Housing Association of Indiana, and is a board member of the Community Investment Fund of Indiana, Inc. He has received the Michael Carroll Community Economic Development Leadership Award for his efforts to advance affordable housing partnerships and production. Jacob is a graduate of Indiana University.
Duane Embree, Office of Defense Development:
Duane serves as the Director of the Indiana Office of Defense Development. He also serves as the National Director for Military and Defense Initiatives for Ivy Tech Community College where he focuses on workforce development and economic development initiatives across the defense sector. Duane is a retired member of the Senior Executive Service where he served in a number of Department of Navy senior civilian leadership roles, most recently as the Technical Director of the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Duane holds a B.S in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University.
Bill Konyha, Office of Community and Rural Affairs:
Bill Konyha has been the Executive Director at Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs since his appointment in January of 2015. Previously, he served as the President and CEO of the Economic Development Group of Wabash County, Inc. and was the Executive Director for both Fayette County and Tipton County. Governor Mike Pence awarded Bill with the Sagamore of the Wabash award in 2013. He is a graduate of Ball State University and studied Business Administration and Management at Kent State University.
Mark Newman, Office of Tourism Development:
Mark Newman is the Executive Director of Indiana’s Office of Tourism Development. Prior to his appointment in 2012, he was the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Mark also served as the COO for the Indiana Sports Corporation and was an Assistant Soccer Coach at the University of Virginia. He received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Massachusetts and studied Sports Psychology at the University of Virginia.
OTHER APPOINTMENTS
Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, Department of Child Services
Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura is the current Director of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS). She has received awards for her work in child advocacy such as the Trailblazer Award from the Indiana Black Caucus, Mental Health Advocate of the Year from the Lake County Mental Health Association, and the Regional Wernle Catalyst for Change Award. Currently, she serves on Indiana’s Commission on Improving the Status of Children. Bonaventura is a Lake County native who attended law school at Northern Illinois University and received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree from Marian University.
Jessica Robertson, Department of Administration
Jessica Robertson serves Indiana as the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration. Previously, Robertson served as Tennessee’s first chief procurement officer after serving as the deputy commissioner over procurement in Indiana. Jessica joined the public sector in 2005 as a Governor’s Fellow with the State of Indiana. In 2011, she was recognized as Graduate of the Last Decade from Indiana State University and was a member of the 2009 Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. Jessica holds a BS in finance from Indiana State University.
Carolene Mays-Medley, Executive Director of White River State Park
Carolene Mays-Medley served as a state representative from 2002 to 2008 and was formerly publisher and president of the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper and the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. She was appointed Executive Director of White River State Park Development Commission by Governor Mike Pence and formerly served as a commissioner and vice chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. She is a graduate of Indiana State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Jurisprudence degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Jim Brown, Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs
Jim Brown has served as the Director of Veterans Affairs since his appointment by Governor Mike Pence in 2013. Previously, he served as the Indiana National Guard State Command Sergeant Major and has 25 years of small business ownership. Jim is a decorated veteran of the United States Army and the Indiana National Guard, receiving awards such as the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and many more. He and his wife Cheryl Kimler have six children and nine grandchildren.
Adjunct General Corey Carr, Adjunct General of the Indiana National Guard
Adjunct General Corey Carr was previously appointed by Governor Mike Pence to serve as the head of the Indiana National Guard having formerly served in a variety of roles as a member of the Indiana National Guard, including deployments to Bosnia and Iraq. General Carr is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, and received his master’s degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.
General Stewart Goodwin, Executive Director of the Indiana War Memorial
General Stewart Goodwin currently serves as the Indiana War Memorial Executive Director, originally appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels and then reappointed by Governor Mike Pence. His military career spanned 37 years in the United States Air Force including assignments at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Grissom AFB, and Operation Desert Storm, ultimately retiring as a brigadier general. He is a graduate of the University of Evansville and currently resides in Indianapolis.
