Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Transition Chair Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman announced today the appointments of Hugh Quill as the director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Joe Secrest as president and legislative director of the Ohio Controlling Board, and Steve Campbell as chief of staff of the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Quill, 50, will begin service on February 12. His appointment marks Strickland’s 16th cabinet appointment.
“Hugh’s management experience and good judgment make him very qualified to direct the Department of Administrative Services,” Strickland said. “I know that he can help move Ohio government toward greater efficiency and with better results for Ohio families.”
Secrest, 60, will begin as president of the Controlling Board, an arm of the Office of Budget and Management, effective February 5.
“Joe will offer a sage mind and a steady hand in guiding the work of the Controlling Board,” Strickland said.
Campbell, 43, will begin as chief of staff of the Ohio Department of Transportation on February 20.
“Steve’s significant leadership abilities have shined in Mayor Coleman’s office and during my transition,” Strickland said. “He will be a tremendous asset to the Ohio Department of Transportation.”
“Hugh, Joe and Steve are all public servants whose experience and qualifications will serve our state well,” Coleman said.
Hugh Quill, director of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services
Hugh Quill is currently the Montgomery County Treasurer and has served in that position since 1993. As the county's fiscal officer, Quill is responsible for the custody, collection and disbursement of cash assets as well as the marketing agent for the sale of notes and bonds. The treasurer serves as the depository for all county agencies and manager of the county's $500 million investment portfolio.
As treasurer, Quill has led Montgomery County in safely earning more than $270 million in investment income and establishing a $20 million local Linked Deposited Program for job creation, retention and targeted housing development. In 2005, he initiated a real estate tax lien program that has recouped more than $45 million in delinquent taxes through sales and run-up collections. Before becoming treasurer, Quill worked as chief deputy treasurer for Montgomery County and also served as the county's assistant treasurer for taxpayer services and assistant treasurer for tax delinquency.
Prior to his service in the Montgomery County Treasurer's Office, Quill worked as an investigator at the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office from 1984-1987, and as a public information officer from 1987-1991 for then Secretary of State Sherrod Brown.
Quill has served as the chairman for the Artemis Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence, president of the County Treasurers Association of Ohio and chairman of the Montgomery County E-Government Task Force. He is currently the chairman of the Montgomery County Investment Advisory Committee, the vice-chairman of the Montgomery County Budget Commission and the former chairman of the Montgomery County Automated Data Processing Board.
Quill received a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Dayton in 1979. He currently resides in Dayton.
"DAS plays an absolutely critical role in the day-to-day operations of state government," Quill said. "I will work hard to make sure that its responsibilities are carried out in the most effective and efficient manner possible."
Administrative Services provides quality centralized services, specialized support and innovative solutions to state agencies, boards and commissions as well as local governments and state universities. The department helps deliver mail and information technology, recruits and trains personnel, promotes equal access to the state workforce, procures goods and services, oversees state construction projects, provides data and voice transmissions, leases and manages office space, processes payroll, prints publications and performs a variety of other services.
As director of the Department of Administrative Services, Quill will earn an annual salary of $125,000. The annual salary of the current director is $129,792.
Joe Secrest, president of the Ohio Controlling Board
Secrest, a former state representative, has served on the Guernsey County Board of Commissioners since 2002. From 1993-2002, he worked as Ashland Inc.’s regional manager for State Government Relations, where his primary duty was to represent the company’s interest within Ohio’s legislature and regulatory agencies.
Secrest received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Muskingum College and a master’s degree in counseling from West Virginia University. He was a caseworker for the Guernsey County Children’s Services Board from 1971-73, and served as the assistant director for the Six County Mental Health Center in Cambridge from 1973-1983.
Secrest was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1982 and served more than nine years as a representative for the 95th House district. Throughout his tenure, he served on several committees, including Energy and Environment, Financial Institutions, Public Utilities, Public Safety and Highways, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Economic Development and Small Businesses.
Secrest currently serves on several boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees for the Ohio County Commissioners Association, the Guernsey County Investment Advisory Committee and the Guernsey County Board of Revision.
“I look forward to leading the Controlling Board and carefully executing its important oversight duties,” Secrest said.
Secrest resides in Cambridge. He is married to Linda Secrest and has two children: Courtney is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, and Whitney is a senior at Miami University.
The Controlling Board provides legislative oversight over certain capital and operating expenditures by state agencies and has approval authority over various other state fiscal activities. The seven-member board meets approximately every two weeks to consider and vote on requests for action that are submitted by state agencies and universities. The board consists of: the President of the Board, the chair of the Finance and Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, the chair of the Finance and Financial Institutions Committee of the Senate, two members of the House appointed by the Speaker of the House, and two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate.
Steve Campbell, Chief of Staff for the Ohio Department of Transportation
Since February 2006, Campbell has served as senior adviser on regional affairs for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman. In this role, Campbell has worked as a liaison to local governments, regional authorities and community organizations to improve communication, cooperation and collaboration in Central Ohio, especially on issues of economic development.
From 2000 to 2005, Campbell served as Mayor Coleman’s deputy chief of staff and director of policy. At Coleman's direction, Campbell led policy staff and departmental efforts to create several signature initiatives. These initiatives include “Welcome Home Columbus,” which has led to the development of hundreds of new, affordable homes and apartments, and Neighborhood Pride, which coordinates city services to clean up neighborhoods and help families improve homes.
Campbell also guided critical Public Safety Department policies to ensure proper staffing of the Divisions of Police and Fire, improve relations between police and the communities, prevent discrimination, and engage more residents as partners in fighting neighborhood crime.
Campbell and the policy office also developed the city's historic 21st Century Growth Policy, which will allow for sustainable economic, commercial and residential services for the next 50 years. As a part of addressing regional growth issues, Campbell also led the charge to develop new environmentally beneficial policies and principles that have since been adopted by the city and are helping drive new investment in green housing, commercial development and jobs. To help assure that the city hire quality contractors for construction, Campbell also led an inter-agency effort to adopt responsible contracting procedures.
"From his years of experience as a leader in city hall, Steve Campbell's commitment to innovative public policy will be especially important as ODOT moves forward to be a partner with cities, counties and all the regions of our state, not only building great roads, but also helping drive economic development,” Coleman said.
Campbell served as the director of Coleman's 1999 campaign committee and director of Coleman for Ohio in 2005. He directed the Ohio House Democratic Caucus campaign in 1998 and served as political director and legislative director of the Iowa Democratic Party from 1994 to 1997. Campbell also worked on the 1992 Ohio Clinton-Gore coordinated campaign. In 1993, Campbell served as the economic development director for the city of Chillicothe and directed the city's economic initiatives and advised Chillicothe’s mayor on development matters.
From 1987 to 1991, Campbell served as a research associate with the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. He has also worked as a research contractor with the Kettering Foundation, where he studied the role of non-governmental organizations in international governance.
“I will work tirelessly to help manage and enhance our state’s vast transportation network, while constantly ensuring that Ohioans are traveling on safe, well-maintained roadways, ” Campbell said.
Campbell received a bachelor of arts from the University of Dayton with a double major in international studies and economics and a minor in the Russian language. He also has completed graduate-level courses in international affairs and policy analysis at the Ohio State University.
He is married to Kara Crombie-Campbell, and they have two children.
ODOT oversees Ohio’s $2.1 billion annual transportation program. The department is responsible for designing, building and maintaining Ohio’s nearly 20,000 miles of state, U.S. and interstate highways. Ohio has the second largest inventory of bridges, the fourth largest interstate highway system and the tenth largest highway system in the nation. ODOT also helps coordinate and develop Ohio’s public transportation and aviation programs. These include 56 public transit systems and nearly 200 public airports.