Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson joining DeWine administration

Andy Wilson

Andy Wilson

Governor-elect Mike DeWine named 14 more people to his cabinet and staff, including Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson as a senior advisor for criminal justice policy.

DeWine also tapped people who will oversee programs that touch Ohioans everyday: road maintenance, Medicaid coverage, injured worker claims and more.

Aging: Ursel McElroy is a long-time public servant with experience at the state and county level in aging, job and family services, youth prisons and the Ohio Attorney General's office.

Agriculture: Dorothy Pelanda, an attorney, is a Marysville Republican who spent the past eight years in the Ohio House. She currently lives on her family farm where she grew up.

Developmental Disabilities: Jeff Davis is currently interim director of the Ohio Provider Resource Association, which represents organizations serving 15,000 Ohioans with developmental disabilities. He has experience in the General Assembly and as deputy director of the department.

Environmental Protection: Laurie Stevenson is a deputy director at Ohio EPA, where she has worked for the past 20 years. The agency is charged with protecting Ohio's environment and public health by enforcing standards for air, water, waste management and site cleanups.

Higher Education: Bowling Green Republican Randy Gardner is the second longest serving state lawmaker with 33 years experience. He is currently in the Ohio Senate.

Insurance: Jillian Froment, an attorney, will stay on as department director, a job she's held since 2017. She has been with the department since 2011 but also has experience as a city administrator and head of an agency focused on telecommunications networks.

Job and Family Services: Kimberly Hall is general counsel and a top executive at Columbus State Community College. She previously served DeWine in the attorney general's office as deputy chief counsel.

Mental Health and Addiction Services: Lori Criss is currently head of the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health and Family Services Providers, which represents 150 organizations that provide addiction and mental health services. The state department budget is nearly $1-billion.

Ohio Medicaid: Maureen Corcoran, founder of Voyrs Health Care Advisors, will oversee the $25-billion program that provides healthcare to 2.5 million Ohioans. Corcoran previously served as a deputy director of Medicaid and as an advisor to Gov. Richard Celeste, a Democrat. She holds master's degrees in business administration and nursing.

Transportation: Jack Marshbanks is currently an assistant department director overseeing ODOT's $3.3 billion budget and 5,400 employees. He has also worked in the private sector as marketing director for a minority-owned architural and engineering firm.

Veteran Services: Retired Major General Deborah Ashenhurst, who served as Ohio adjutant general in the Kasich administration, will oversee the department's 900 employees and $129 million budget. The department focuses on connecting veterans and their families to benefits. Ashenhurst retired from the U.S. Army and National Guard in October 2015 after 37 years of service.

Youth Services: Ryan Gies is currently a deputy director in the department that oversees juvenile prisons, parole and community facilities. He has worked for DYS since 1993. The department has a $269 million budget.

Workers Compensation: Stephanie McCloud, an attorney, has served as a bureau staff attorney, an assistant legal counsel to Gov. George Voinovich, and top legal posts in the attorney general's office. She'll oversee the state's insurance program for injured workers, which covers 60 percent of Ohio workers and 240,000 employers. It processes 85,000 new claims a year and holds nearly $29 billion in investment assets.

About the Author