Here’s Who Gov. Josh Shapiro Picked for His Cabinet

U.S. Senate candidate Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh speaks during a meeting of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party State Committee in Harrisburg, Pa., Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

By Graham Harrington

January 18, 2023

Shapiro will also nominate his former deputy attorney general, Michelle Henry, to take over as the commonwealth’s top lawyer.

Now that Josh Shapiro has taken office as Pennsylvania’s 48th governor, the Republican-controlled state Senate will begin the process of confirming Shapiro’s nomination for  state attorney general and his cabinet picks.

Shapiro resigned Tuesday as attorney general, leaving in control his top deputy of six years, Michelle Henry, 54, a career prosecutor from Bucks County whom Shapiro plans to nominate to fill the last two years of his term. She must be confirmed by a two-thirds senate vote. Same goes for Shapiro’s cabinet picks.

Pennsylvania’s constitution states that the Senate must confirm a submitted nomination within “25 legislative days of its submission.” If the nomination is not confirmed within 25 legislative days, the nominee “shall take office as if the appointment had been consented to by the Senate.”

Here’s an updated list of Shapiro’s cabinet nominations:

Al Schmidt, Secretary of the Commonwealth: Schmidt was the former Republican city commissioner of Philadelphia, who notably stood up to Donald Trump after the former president targeted him for pushing back against unfounded claims of election fraud. The secretary of the commonwealth oversees how Pennsylvania’s 67 counties conduct elections.

Christopher Paris, State Police Commissioner: Paris has served as a station and troop commander, and as the deputy commissioner of administration and professional responsibility with the state police. 

Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: Dunn has been nominated for another term after serving in this role since 2015. Previously, she had been the president and chief executive officer of PennFuture, a statewide environmental advocacy organization.

Dana Fritz, Chief of Staff: Fritz, a Lehigh Valley native, has been nominated by Shapiro to lead his cabinet. Fritz has worked under Shapiro since he served as Montgomery County commissioner and served as his deputy chief of staff in the attorney general’s office. 

Dr. Debra L Bogan, Secretary of Health: Bogan is the current head of the Allegheny County Health Department. She joined the department at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. 

Dr. Khalid N. Mumin, Secretary of Education: Mumin was Pennsylvania’s Superintendent of the Year in 2021 and is currently serving as superintendent in the Lower Merion School District. He was previously superintendent in the Reading School District, a majority Latino district that is one of the poorest in the state.

Dr. Latika Davis-Jones, Secretary of Drug and Alcohol Programs: Davis-Jones previously was the senior director of Behavioral Health at Highmark Wholecare. 

Dr. Laurel Harry, Secretary of Corrections: Harry was nominated by Shapiro after serving as the acting western region deputy secretary since July 2022. Harry would be the state’s first female secretary of corrections.

Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Secretary of Human Services: Arkoosh is the former Montgomery County Commissioner and an obstetrician/gynecologist who ran for US Senate in 2022.  

Justin Kavulich, Secretary of Aging: Kavulich currently serves as the Lackawanna County director of the agency on aging and is a graduate of the University of Scranton.

Major General Mark Schindler, Adjutant General: Schindler previously served as an assistant adjutant general and a chief of staff in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Michael Carroll, Secretary of Transportation: Caroll is a former Democratic state Rep. from Lackawanna County, serving the 118th District from 2007 to 2023. 

Mike Humphreys, Insurance Commissioner: Humphreys was named acting commissioner in February 2022 and previously served in other senior positions in the state insurance Department.

Nancy Walker, Secretary of Labor and Industry: Walker was the head of the Fair Labor Section under Shapiro as attorney general. Prior to joining his office, she ran a private law practice focused on labor and employment law. 

Neil Weaver, Secretary of Administration: Weaver served as the acting secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development and as the director of communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. 

Pat Browne, Secretary of Revenue: Browne is a former Republican state Senator from Lehigh County who served as chair in the State Senate Appropriations Committee, and vice chair of the Senate Finance Committee. 

Randy Padfield, Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA): Padfield is the current director of PEMA, the state’s emergency response agency, and has been nominated by Shapiro to serve another term. Before taking on the seat, Padfield had previously served as the deputy director for response operations at PEMA.

Rich Negrin, Secretary of Environmental Protection: Negrin served in a leadership role at the utility company Commonwealth Edison. If confirmed to lead the Department of Environmental Protection, he would become the first Latino in state history to hold the role.

Rick Siger, Secretary of Community and Economic Development: Siger is currently an aide to the president of Carnegie Mellon University, and has experience with robotics and advanced manufacturing. 

Russell Redding, Secretary of Agriculture: Redding is the current Secretary of Agriculture, and has been nominated by Shapiro to serve another term. Redding has served as Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary since 2015. 

Sarah Hammer, Secretary of Banking and Securities: Hammer is a finance and investment expert at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, with expertise in cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, and financial markets.

Tom Cook, Fire Commissioner: Cook has been Pennsylvania’s acting fire commissioner since 2021 and served previously as assistant fire commissioner. He has served as a career company officer in the Mount Lebanon Fire Department, and a staff instructor for Allegheny County Fire Academy. 

Uri Monson, Budget Secretary: Monson has been serving as deputy superintendent for operations for the School District of Philadelphia and previously served as the district’s chief financial officer.

Author

  • Graham Harrington

    Graham Harrington is The Keystone's social media manager. As a multimedia journalist, he has written for the Denisonian, PAC News, and Today’s Patient. Graham lives in Delaware County and is a graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

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