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Governor-Elect Scott Announces Two Agency Heads, Additional Staff

December 6, 2016

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor-elect Phil Scott today announced the appointments of two cabinet secretaries and additional policy staff on his senior leadership team.

Susanne Young will serve as Secretary of the Agency of Administration.  Young is current Deputy Attorney General for Attorney General William Sorrel, and a former Deputy Treasurer and prosecutor in the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit.  The Agency of Administration (AoA) is responsible for the state budget and provides administrative and support services to all state government agencies and departments. The agency’s primary responsibilities include human resources, revenue cycle management, accounting and budget management, physical plant and contracting.

Al Gobeille will serve as the Secretary of the Agency of Human Services.  Gobeille is currently a business owner and chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, the quasi-judicial regulatory board responsible for containing healthcare costs and improving Vermont’s health care system. The Agency of Human Services (AHS) is the largest agency in state government and is responsible for state government’s health care programs, social safety net and public health systems, among other responsibilities.

“Susanne and Al are both accomplished and highly respected leaders who share my focus on making Vermont’s economy stronger and our state more affordable for businesses and families,” Governor-elect Scott said. “Together, they will be a strong and dynamic team, working together to modernize state government, put our state budget on a more sustainable path and move our healthcare priorities forward.”

Governor-elect Scott also announced the appointment of three additional members of his senior staff.  Rebecca Kelley will serve as Director of Communications.  In addition to serving as the Governor-elect’s spokeswoman, Kelley will be responsible for the development and management of the administration’s public information systems.   John Quinn will serve as Chief Innovation Officer with a portfolio that includes IT systems reform, IT project planning and management, government modernization initiatives and a cyber-security review.  And Tayt Brooks will join the staff as Director of Affordability and Economic Initiatives tasked with leading affordability and economic growth initiatives.

ABOUT SUSANNE YOUNG, SECRETARY OF ADMINISTRATION

Susanne Young, 60, served as Deputy Attorney General by Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell since November 2012.  She returned to the AG’s Office in 2011 after serving as Legal Counsel to Governor James H. Douglas from 2003-2011 and as Deputy Treasurer for then Treasurer Douglas from 1999-2003.  From 1982 to 1999, she was an Assistant Attorney General and served in various positions including Chief of the Criminal Division, Director of the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit, Director of the Civil Litigation Unit, and interim Deputy Attorney General.  Young is a 1978 graduate of the University of Vermont, and a 1981 graduate of Vermont Law School. Young and her husband Peter reside in Northfield.

ABOUT AL GOBEILLE, SECRETARY OF HUMAN SERVICES

As Chairman of the Green Mountain Care Board, Al Gobeille, 52, is currently tasked with directing the board’s charge of slowing the growth of health care costs and reforming the way health care is provided to Vermonters. In addition, Al and his wife, Kim own and operate Gobeille Hospitality, a Burlington based restaurant and hospitality business that includes four popular restaurants and catering businesses: Shanty on the Shore, Burlington Bay Market and Café, Breakwater Café and Grill, and Northern Lights Cruises.  Gobeille Hospitality employs 230 people. Gobeille served on the Town of Shelburne Select Board. He was a board member of the Visiting Nurses Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties, and served on the State of Vermont’s Payment Reform Advisory Committee.  Gobeille is a graduate of Norwich University and served as an officer in the United States Army. Gobeille resides in Shelburne with his wife and they have three children.

ABOUT REBECCA KELLEY, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Rebecca Kelley, 34, is a communications professional with more than a decade of experience managing communications and public relations programs for a diverse set of clients. As founder and owner of her own consulting firm, Kelley has represented organizations and individuals in the technology, financial services, health care, real estate, retail and government affairs sectors. Kelley holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Communications Studies and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Ms. Kelley grew up in Vermont and will return home, with her husband and two sons, for her new role.

ABOUT JOHN QUINN, CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER

John Quinn, 37, is an information technology professional specializing in IT planning, project management, operations, and management. He has held numerous leadership roles throughout his career and has served in various posts in state government.  In 2012, Quinn was elected to the Northfield Select Board, where he served two, 2-year-terms, spending 3 years as Chairman of the board. Quinn received an Associates of Science in Computer Networking and PC Support from Champlain College and a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies from Johnson State College. He is also a certified project manager with the Project Management Institute. He lives in Northfield with his wife and two children on a small horse farm.

ABOUT TAYT BROOKS, DIRECTOR OF AFFORDABILITY & ECONOMIC GROWTH INITIATIVES

From 2008 to 2011, Tayt Brooks, 41, has served as both commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development.  He also served for 5 years as Director of Government Affairs for the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Vermont.  Most recently, Brooks spent 5 years as president of Brooks Strategies, a strategic communication and leadership training business he founded and worked for Phil Scott for Vermont as the Director of Data Acquisition and Management.  Brooks has a Bachelor's Degree in History from St. Lawrence University.  He lives in St. Albans with his wife and two young daughters.