Evers Names Obama Official to Head Wisconsin Health Agency

Andrea Palm Will Head the Wisconsin Department of Health Services

UPDATE: MADISON, Wis. – (11:15 a.m.)

Gov.-elect Tony Evers has named two Democratic lawmakers to his Cabinet.

Evers on Thursday named state Rep. Peter Barca, of Kenosha, as secretary of the Department of Revenue and state Sen. Caleb Frostman, of Sturgeon Bay, as secretary of the Department of Workforce Development.

Frostman won a special election last year representing the Door County area in the state Senate, but lost his bid for a full term in November to Republican Andre Jacque.

Evers is currently state superintendent of schools. He named is chief of staff Emilie Amundson as secretary of the Department of Children and Families. He named assistant state superintendent Dawn Crim as secretary of the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

Also, Evers picked former Obama administration official Andrea Palm to head the Department of Health Services.

MADISON, Wis. – Gov.-elect Tony Evers is naming a former Obama administration official to head the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Evers’ transition team said Thursday that Andrea Palm is his pick to serve as secretary of the department with a $12 billion annual budget that oversees the state’s Medicaid and other public benefits programs.

Evers was to officially announce Palm’s appointment at a news conference Thursday where he was to name other Cabinet secretaries. Evers takes over for Gov. Scott Walker on Monday.

Palm is originally from New York state. She most recently served as senior counselor to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2017.

Prior to joining the Obama administration, she worked five years as a health policy adviser to then-U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton.