BMS.STATE.MN.US - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO )
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Corrections
Bill Pal-Freeman serves as the Chief Business Technology Officer (CBTO) at the Minnesota Department of Corrections. In his role as CBTO, Bill manages the technology used to help Minnesotans receive the services they need.
Bill is a multi-dimensional senior technology leader with over 30 years of experience in the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) in both the public and private sectors. Prior to becoming CBTO, Bill has served with MNIT as a Deputy Director partnering with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Information Policy Research Director. Before entering the public sector, he worked at an executive leadership level within the aviation and insurance industries.
Bill received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from Park University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Transportation
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- Douglas County - IT Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Employment and Economic Development, Department of Commerc
- Chief Business Technology Officers ( CBTOs )
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- Minnesota Management & Budget - Deputy Commissioner
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO )
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- Southwest Health and Human Services - IT Director
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO )
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Human Services
Commissioner Arnold was initially appointed by Governor Walz in 2020 and reappointed in 2022. In February 2023, she was confirmed by the Minnesota Senate.
In leading the state's oversight of industries that provide financial security to Minnesotans and energy resource policy and programs in Minnesota, Commissioner Arnold is committed to ensuring Commerce's regulated markets are fair and accessible to all Minnesotans, and that Minnesota is a leader in creating a clean energy economy.
Arnold joined Commerce in 2019, where she served as Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Insurance. Before joining the Department, Commissioner Arnold led product development for individual and family plans at Bright Health, a Minneapolis-based health insurer. She spent nearly a decade at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where she helped lead the technology turnaround of healthcare.gov and led policy development during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement
As Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement, Olson oversees the work of the Commerce Fraud Bureau, comprised of licensed law enforcement officers who investigate criminal insurance and financial fraud, the civil enforcement Multi-Industry, Real Estate, and Insurance investigative teams, the Market Conduct enforcement team, and the Consumer Service Center, which works to address complaints about businesses and professionals regulated by Commerce. She joined Commerce in 2017, where she supervised Enforcement's Multi-Industry investigation team. In 2022, she was promoted to Senior Director for Licensing, Consumer Support and Unclaimed Property. Prior to joining Commerce, Olson worked as a litigation attorney for Minneapolis-based law firms.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Commissioner and Chief Technology Officer ( CTO )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Natural Resources
Job Titles:
- Target Corporation - Senior Director
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- Legislative Member - Ex - Officio Non - Voting Member / Representative Jim Nash
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair
- Assistant Commissioner, Chief Information Security Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Administration, Bureau of Mediation Services
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- Member of the Leadership Team
- Deputy Commissioner
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- Government Relations Director
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- Deputy Commissioner for Commerce 's Insurance Division
- Deputy Commissioner of Insurance
Julia Dreier was appointed in 2021 as Deputy Commissioner for Commerce's Insurance Division, which serves Minnesotans through insurance policy and insurance regulation, including licensing, examination, policy and rate reviews for health, homeowners, auto, workers' compensation, long-term care and life insurance, and for pharmacy benefits management. Prior to joining Commerce, she was with IMPAQ International, a global policy research and analytics firm and provided strategic policy and operational advice to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She served on the leadership team in the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight and led efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act commercial insurance market reforms. In Minnesota, Dreier worked in public policy for the Minnesota Council of Health plans and for the Service Employees International Union.
Job Titles:
- Department of Natural Resources - Director of Ecological and Water Resources Division
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Commissioner of Regulatory Affairs
Miltich oversees the Commerce Energy Resource Division's work with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on regulatory issues, including Minnesota's Energy Conservation & Optimization Program, Energy Planning, Energy Rates and Telecommunications. She joined Commerce in 2016 and served as Energy Program Director for the Energy Environmental Review and Analysis unit. Prior to joining Commerce, she worked on energy issues in both the nonprofit and private sectors, including almost a decade as environmental scientist for Barr Engineering.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Commissioner of Financial Institutions
Max Zappia was appointed Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Financial Institutions in 2017. He oversees the Financial Institution Division teams that work on regulation of state-chartered banks, state-chartered credit unions, and non-depository (non-bank) financial institutions licensed in the state of Minnesota, encompassing finance companies, mortgage-related businesses and money transmitters. Regulatory activities of the Financial Institutions Division include onsite examinations, licensing, applications processing and statewide analysis. Zappia joined Commerce in 2009 and has previously served as Chief Examiner of Banking and Regional Program Director.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Commissioner of Energy Resources
Deputy Commissioner Gransee oversees the Division of Energy Resources with mission-driven staff focused on effective and equitable energy policy, regulation and program design and implementation. Her team works on issues related to energy affordability, environmental analysis, multiple state energy programs, energy security & reliability and provides both energy and telecommunications regulatory analysis, oversight and advocacy.
Gransee began her work for Commerce in 2009 and for the past 10 years has held progressive leadership roles in the State Energy Office at Commerce. One of 56 State Energy Offices nationwide, Gransee serves on the Executive Leadership Committee of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), co-founded the NASEO Equity Committee and previously served as the Midwest Regional Representative for the Board.
Job Titles:
- Anoka County - Commissioner
Job Titles:
- ECMECC - Network and Security Administrator
Job Titles:
- OLD Residential
- Residential
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- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Department of Public Safety
Wyckoff coordinates Commerce's efforts to bring millions in federal clean energy funds to Minnesota, and also oversees the Energy Affordability business unit, encompassing Minnesota's Energy Assistance and Weatherization Assistance Programs. Prior to joining Commerce in 2023, Wyckoff served as Senior Policy Advisor for Energy for U.S. Senator Tina Smith and worked for former U.S. Senator Al Franken. He is emeritus professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, where he served on the faculty for 15 years, and was founding director of the UMM Environmental Studies Program.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Commissioner of Government and External Affairs at the Minnesota Department of Commerce
- Government and External Affairs Assistant Commissioner
Brickwedde is Assistant Commissioner of Government and External Affairs at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. He joined the Commerce Department in 2011 and supervises the Government Affairs, Communications, Tribal Affairs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Senior Fraud Ombudsperson offices at the agency. He leads policy development and advocacy for the agency, representing the Commerce Department at the State Legislature as well as with local governmental units and federal partners.
Prior to joining the Commerce Department, Peter served as a Legislative Assistant in the Minnesota Senate. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Peter was a member of the Humphrey Policy Fellows Program at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Minnesota Department of Education
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- Legislative Member - Ex - Officio Non - Voting Member / Representative Jim Nash
Job Titles:
- Legislative Member - Ex - Officio Non - Voting Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Medtronic - Senior IT Manager
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Information Officer
- Commissioner
Job Titles:
- Administration Deputy Commissioner
- Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Administration
As Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Tim Jahnke serves as Chief Operating Officer for Commerce, with oversight for Commerce's Licensing, Unclaimed Property, Weights & Measures, Petrofund, Regulatory Information Center, accounting, finance, human resources, and internal controls business units. Jahnke joined Commerce in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Commerce, Jahnke served as executive budget officer for Minnesota Management and Budget, where he assisted state agencies to prepare budget requests for inclusion in the Governor's budget. He also served in accounting roles for Minnesota Departments of Administration, Transportation and the Board of Animal Health.
Job Titles:
- Clockwork - Chief Operating Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO )
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- Chief Business Technology Officer ( CBTO ) Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Assistant Commissioner, Chief Transformation Officer
Zarina has 25 years of IT leadership experience that spans across both private and public sectors. She has been with Minnesota IT Services partnering with MMB since June 2018 where she led implementations of SWIFT (the state's finance and procurement system) and portal system upgrades. Zarina Baber serves on the MNIT leadership team as Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Transformation and Strategy Delivery, in addition to serving as CBTO for the Governor's Office. Baber previously served a dual role as the Deputy CBTO for Minnesota Management and Budget and CBTO for the Governor's Office.
Prior to MNIT, Zarina's experience included major program execution, establishing and leading Project Management Offices (PMO), and implementing portfolio management practices. As the Director of the Enterprise PMO at Ameriprise Financial Services, Zarina led the transformation of technology's annual planning process to a rolling monthly portfolio management process. She has extensive experience implementing a $175 million electronic health record initiative at Fairview Health Services, and stood up the PMO at Target Corporation. Zarina's public sector experience includes several years at Hennepin County Medical Center, where among other things she developed and introduced the Information Management Life Cycle. She also led the implementation of a service integration initiative across nine divisions-the data sharing project included business process redesign and cross-divisional systems integration.
Outside of work, Zarina is a recognized leader in the state for some of her ground-breaking work for multiple causes. She was a recipient of the Annual Asian Pacific Leadership Award in 2001, and the recipient of AARP and Pollen's 2017 50 Over 50 leadership award in the Disruptors category, an annual award that highlights the 50 most inspiring and accomplished leaders across Minnesota. Zarina has served on several boards including Advocates for Human Rights, an internationally renowned human rights organization.
Zarina holds a BS in MIS from Carlson School of Management, U of M; MS in Technology Management from the School of Engineering, University of St. Thomas and a Master Certificate in Healthcare Leadership with Focus on Organizational Change Management from Cornell University. In addition, Zarina is a certified Project Management Professional and a Certified Scrum Master.