Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Administration Appointments

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 (Photo credit: USDAgov)
RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced additional appointments to his administration today. The appointees will join McAuliffe’s administration focused on finding common ground with members of both parties on issues that will grow Virginia’s economy and create more jobs across the Commonwealth.

Office of the Governor

Ian Ceraolo, Special Assistant for Constituent Services
Ian Ceraolo is a recent graduate from Florida State University, where he received Bachelor’s Degrees in Economics and Political Science.

Liza Purcell, Executive Assistant to the First Lady
Liza Purcell worked previously on the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force in Washington, DC, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee, and the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee.  Liza graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012.

Debbie Puzzo, Confidential Assistant to Governor
Debbie Puzzo has been appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve as the Confidential Assistant to the Governor.  Prior to her appointment to the Administration, Debbie served as Executive Assistant to Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao. She previously served as Council Liaison to former Richmond City Council President Kathy Graziano.  In addition, Debbie served over eleven years in various capacities within the Delaware General Assembly and graduated from Wesley College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Paralegal Studies.

Lincoln Saunders, Chief of Staff to the First Lady and Policy Advisor
Lincoln Saunders, a Northern Neck native, has been working in food security and farm policy in Indiana for the last two years after receiving his Master’s degree in Agriculture Policy Analysis at Indiana University. Saunders received his bachelor’s degree in Government from the College of William and Mary.

Kim Trainer Steinhoff, Confidential Assistant to the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff
Kim Steinhoff has been re-appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve as the Confidential Assistant to the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff.  Prior to her appointment to the Administration, Kim worked for 16 years as an executive assistant serving five prior Attorney Generals.  Kim received her Associate’s Degree in Legal Secretarial Science from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.


Secretariat of Administration

Edgardo Cortes, Director of the State Board of Elections
Edgardo Cortes worked for the Virginia State Board of Elections updating the state’s Help America Vote Act State Plan and Voting System Certification program.  He is the former General Registrar of Fairfax County, responsible for administering elections in the largest county in Virginia.  Edgardo has served as the Grants Director and then Deputy Director for Policy for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).  He began working on voting issues as director of a national non-partisan voter registration program focused on Puerto Rican and Latino voters.Edgardo holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in political management from the George Washington University.


Secretariat of Health and Human Resources

M. Elaina Schramm, Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources
M. Elaina Schramm has been re-appointed by Governor McAuliffe as Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources.  Prior to working in this secretariat, Elaina worked with Secretary William Hazel at his orthopedic practice in Northern Virginia.


Secretariat of Transportation

Douglas Koelemay, Director of the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships
Douglas Koelemay is a policy and public affairs professional with more than four decades of experience in business, government and non-profit sectors, most recently with Tysons-headquartered SAIC. He served six years on the Commonwealth Transportation Board as an appointee of then Governor Timothy M. Kaine. Koelemay authored “Financing the Future: Report of the Commission to Promote Investment in America’s Infrastructure,” a charge of the 1991 federal ISTEA legislation that championed innovative public-private infrastructure investment strategies.


Secretariat of the Commonwealth


James Hardy Dillard, Appointment to the Board of Education
James Dillard is a former House of Delegates member who represented the 41st district (Fairfax County) for a total of 32 years. He was appointed to the William & Mary Board of Visitors by Governor Mark Warner in 2005. Dillard was resource teacher and acting principal in the Fairfax county public school system for 21 years. He received his B.A. from William & Mary in history, and an M.A. in political science from American University.


Andrew Ko, Appointment to the Board of Education
Andrew Ko is a General Manager in Microsoft Corporation’s U.S. Education business. Prior to this role, he was director for National Solutions for Microsoft U.S. Public Sector. He is a veteran of the management consulting industry, including positions at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Emerging Markets Group and KPMG Consulting. In 2009, he was appointed by Governor Timothy M. Kaine to the Virginia Asian Advisory Board which represents one of the fastest-growing groups in the Commonwealth. In addition, Andrew served on the board of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association where he co-chaired the Veteran Retraining Initiative, which helps wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan secure information technology jobs after leaving the military. Andrew earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland in 1994 and was also a Certified Public Accountant.
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