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NEWS RELEASE
Posted: Dec. 1, 2002
MINNER: CHIEF OF STAFF
APPOINTED
Dover -- Governor Ruth Ann Minner announced Wednesday that she has
selected Mark T. Brainard, currently executive vice president of the
Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, to become chief of staff in her
office.
Gov. Minner also announced
that Lee Ann Walling, who has served as senior advisor to the
governor since January 2001, will take a position in the Delaware
Economic Development Office implementing several elements of the
Governor’s quality of life agenda, including Livable Delaware, water
supply and industrial responsibility.
“I have been thinking for
some time about restructuring my office in order to better serve me
and the people of Delaware and I am pleased that Mark has agreed to
come on board,” Minner said. “Mark has a long history in and around
state government and I am looking forward to having his expertise
and judgment in continuing to implement the agenda that the people
of Delaware elected me to enact.”
“In this
difficult economic climate, it is also important to do all we can to
make our state attractive to businesses that are already here and
businesses that may want to come here. And the Strategic Economic
Council identified quality of life and the implementation of Livable
Delaware as keys to that,” Gov. Minner said. “Now that some of the
key pieces of my quality of life plan have been put into place, we
have to focus on implementation and that’s what I’ve asked Lee Ann
to do at DEDO. She along with Judy McKinney-Cherry and Jim
Roszkowski, my new director and advisor at DEDO, will be a dream
team.”
“With a hiring
freeze in place, it was not an easy decision to make these kinds of
personnel moves,” Gov. Minner said. “But Lee Ann’s work at DEDO will
be critical for keeping and attracting jobs and Mark’s combination
of public and private experience will be important to help me
continue to manage Delaware well through these tough times.”
Brainard, 44,
of Newark, has served as executive vice president of the State
Chamber since 2001 and served at the chamber as senior vice
president from 1999 to 2001. He served as assistant vice president
for personnel and legal affairs at Delaware Technical and Community
College from 1995 to 1999. He was director of external affairs at
DelDOT from 1993 to 1995, and chief of staff for the Democratic
caucus in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993
and was administrative assistant to the Democratic caucus of the
state Senate from 1984 to 1987. He held a series of part-time
legislative positions from 1979 to 1984. Brainard has a Bachelor of
Arts in Behavioral Science from Wilmington College and a law degree
from Widener University School of Law.
“After spending
a number of my years working in state government and around state
policy, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity the Governor
has offered me to serve in this position at a very challenging time
in our state,” Brainard said.
Walling, 46, of
Lincoln, is considered the architect of the Governor’s Livable
Delaware agenda. Previously, she served as deputy state treasurer
from 1999 to 2001 and as executive assistant to the secretary of
finance from 1996 to 1999. She was executive assistant to Minner as
lieutenant governor from 1993 to 1996, campaign manager of Minner’s
campaign for lieutenant governor in 1992, and a reporter and editor
at the Delaware State News from 1981 to 1991. She holds a Master of
Business Administration from the University of Delaware and a
Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at
Austin.
“I believe in
the power of good ideas, and the Governor has charged me with
continuing to develop and implement a quality of life agenda that
includes Livable Delaware, water supply, economic development,
industrial responsibility and many other Minner-Carney
Administration policy goals,” Walling said. “It’s a challenge to be
able to focus on an area of such critical importance to Delawareans
and their future.”
Brainard will
begin in the Governor’s Office Monday. Walling will transition to
DEDO by mid-December.
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