Top state administrator departing governor’s cabinet

Listen to this article

Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan is leaving Gov. Tony Evers‘ Administration to lead the Greater Milwaukee Committee.

Evers announced Brennan would step down on Wednesday and named Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Secretary Kathy Koltin Blumenfeld to serve as DOA secretary-designee. She will take over in that post on Jan. 17.

Brennan joined Evers’ administration in December 2018. He will take over as president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, replacing Julia Taylor, who led the organization for 19 years.

“Secretary Brennan has been a part of my administration since the very beginning, and I want to thank him for his service to the people of Wisconsin over the last three years,” said Evers. “Especially over the last 19 months, the Department of Administration has been a critical partner in supporting our state and our economic recovery efforts, and I wish Secretary Brennan and his family all the best.”

Secretary Koltin Blumenfeld was appointed by the governor to oversee the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions in December 2018. She was confirmed by the Wisconsin State Senate in October 2019. Before her appointment to DFI, Secretary Koltin Blumenfeld was the executive vice president of special operations at Total Administration Services Corp.

Replacing Koltin Blumenfeld at DFI is the agency’s deputy secretary Cheryll Olson-Collins. She previously served as acting administrator of DFI’s division of banking

Before joining the Evers administration, Brennan served as president and CEO of Discovery World from October 2007 through January 2019. Brennan also served as head of Milwaukee’s Redevelopment Authority, where he oversaw real-estate development and large economic-development projects. He was involved in the redevelopment of the Menomonee Valley, the moving of Manpower World Headquarters to downtown Milwaukee, the reconstruction of the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and the redevelopment of the former Pabst Brewery site. Follow @natebeck9