Wisconsin's new DNR secretary makes staff appointments
The Department of Natural Resources has a new leader but other top positions are little changed as the agency begins work in 2023.
Gov. Tony Evers on Dec. 27 appointed Sheboygan County Administrator Adam Payne as DNR secretary.
Payne, who served as the Sheboygan County administrator for 24 years, assumed the position in Evers' cabinet Jan. 3. He succeeded Preston Cole, who served as DNR secretary since Jan. 2019 and announced his retirement in November.
Last week, Payne announced his picks for spots on the DNR leadership team.
Sarah Barry will continue to serve as deputy secretary. Barry holds a master’s degree from the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin and a Bachelor of Science degree from the UW-Oshkosh and spent 15 years as chief of staff for several state senators.
The number three spot at the agency will also be unchanged. Steven Little will continue to serve as assistant deputy secretary. Little holds a public affairs master’s degree from UW and received his undergraduate degree in government from Beloit College.
Cheryl Heilman will continue to serve as the department's chief legal counsel. Heilman has been with the DNR since 2011 and previously served as a deputy chief counsel in the Bureau of Legal Services. She previously worked for the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, a criminal justice non-profit, a private law firm and as a law clerk to U.S. District Court and Court of Appeals judges. Heilman is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Sean Kennedy will continue to serve as legislative liaison, a position he has held since November 2019. He previously advised legislators and oversaw State Capitol office operations as staff to several state representatives. Kennedy holds a master’s degree from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison and received his undergraduate degree in political science, also from UW-Madison.
Katie Grant has been appointed to serve as communications director, filling the vacancy created when Sarah Hoye left the agency in late 2022. Grant began working in the DNR’s Office of Communications in Aug. 2018 and previously served as Digital Communications Section Manager.
Jim Zellmer has been named administrator of the Division of Environmental Management. Zellmer has worked for the DNR for 35 years and has served as the deputy division administrator since 2016 overseeing the division's water programs. He has a bachelor’s degree in water resources from UW-Stevens Point and a master's in civil and environmental engineering from UW.
Diane Brusoe has been named administrator of the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, filling a vacancy created when Keith Warnke retired in 2022. She has served as the deputy administrator for the division since May 2020. Brusoe’s DNR career started as an LTE in 1998 after receiving a master of science in urban and regional planning from UW and a bachelor’s degree from UW-Stevens Point.
Heather Berklund will continue to serve as administrator of the Division of Forestry and Wisconsin’s chief forester. Berklund has worked for the DNR for 22 years and was appointed as the chief forester in October 2020, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
In other top roles, Ann Kipper has been named administrator of the Division of External Services and Tim Cooke will continue to serve as administrator of the Division of Internal Services.
In addition, the DNR's regional directors are unchanged. They are Jean Romback-Bartels in the northeast; Mark Aquino in the south; Mike Thompson in the southeast; Dan Baumann in the west; and James Yach in the north.
Nordic center open house
The Ariens Nordic Center in Brillion will host an open house Jan. 13 to 15. The new venue, which features a biathlon course and 5 kilometers of lighted ski trails, will offer gear demos and free skiing all weekend.
The open house had originally been planned for this weekend but recent rain caused snow conditions to deteriorate. Organizers are confident the center's snow-making system will enable staff to have trails in good shape for the coming weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin DNR secretary makes staff appointments for 2023
