DWD names Simon as assistant deputy secretary, Exner as legislative liaison

The Department of Workforce Development has named Jeremy Simon as assistant deputy secretary and Arielle Exner as legislative liaison, strengthening the department’s leadership on legislative and policy matters.

Simon joins DWD from the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, where he served as director of government relations and advocacy. He also previously served as a grant and contracts specialist with UW-Milwaukee’s School of Information Studies.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in international relations and history from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, and an MBA from UW-Milwaukee.

Exner joins DWD following her work as the southeastern regional political director for the Tony for Wisconsin campaign. While completing her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, she consulted on a violence prevention project with the St. Louis Mayor’s Office and conducted research on structural barriers to serving in state legislatures. Exner was an American Indian Economic Development Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and brings that experience to her role serving as DWD’s tribal liaison. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology with minors in French and journalism from Boston University.

Simon can be reached through [email protected], while Exner can be reached through [email protected].