MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Secretary Dawn Crim will be leaving the Evers Administration on Aug. 1, 2022.
“Secretary Crim has been absolutely critical to my administration from the very beginning, and her leadership has been indispensable on several fronts—from her efforts to ensure we have high standards for those serving and caring for Wisconsinites across our state to monitoring and preventing the misuse of prescription drugs to her work as chair of my Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council and so much more,” said Gov. Evers. “Even before joining my cabinet, I’ve known Dawn to be an exceptional leader, and I’ve long considered her to be a great friend. There is no challenge she hasn’t been willing to take on and work to solve, including throughout the many challenges we’ve faced together over the last three years. I’m incredibly grateful for her extraordinary service to the people of Wisconsin, and I wish her and her family all the best.”
During her tenure at DSPS, Secretary Crim oversaw a redesign of the building plan review process to expedite decisions and updates to the state’s commercial building codes and plumbing codes. Secretary Crim also assembled the Mass Timber Task Force, mobilized a task force of healthcare leadership to advise on the Evers Administration’s coronavirus pandemic response, and served as the inaugural chair of the Governor’s Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council in addition to developing the agency’s first-ever equity and inclusion plan.
Under Secretary Crim’s leadership at DSPS, the department secured $3.7 million in grants for the expansion and improvement of the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, developed and implemented two new grant programs to support the fire service and veterans working toward careers in licensed occupations, and integrated the department’s legacy systems and technology remaining from the agency’s 2011 merger of the Department of Regulation and Licensing and Department of Commerce. The final phase of this integration, which began with transition of health license applications to an online platform, will move all occupational licenses to a modern, self-guided applicant-centered system.
“For the past three and a half years I have been focused on modernizing our agency, integrating our systems and staff, and securing the resources we need to work efficiently and effectively across all our divisions,” Secretary Crim said. “After more than ten years of operating with disparate processes and policies, DSPS is now a unified agency focused on ensuring safety and supporting the economy. I am proud of what I have accomplished in the past three and a half years. It has been a privilege to serve under Gov. Evers and to be a part of this administration.”
Secretary Crim has been with the Evers Administration since January 2019 when she was appointed by Gov. Evers to lead DSPS. Prior to joining DSPS, Secretary Crim served as assistant state superintendent for student and school success at the Department of Public Instruction, as well as several leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Secretary Crim was confirmed by the Wisconsin State Senate as DSPS Secretary in September 2021.
Gov. Evers also announced today he is appointing Dan Hereth, now Assistant Deputy Secretary at DSPS, to serve as Secretary-designee of DSPS upon Secretary Crim’s departure.
Hereth joined the agency in January 2019. Prior to that he had served as the deputy district director for Congresswoman Gwen Moore since 2007. Hereth is a Watertown native and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and a master’s degree in human resources from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
“I’m grateful to have worked with Secretary Crim in serving the people of Wisconsin over the course of the last three and a half years,” said Assistant Deputy Secretary Hereth. “I am looking forward to continuing this work moving forward, and I appreciate the opportunity from Gov. Evers to serve in a new role at the Department of Safety and Professional Services.”
Last Update: Jul 08, 2022 11:23 am CDT
