Governor-elect Tony Evers continued to fill out his cabinet with the announcement of four more appointments. Rebecca Cameron Valcq will serve as Chair of the Public Service Commission; Craig Thompson will serve as Department of Transportation secretary; Mark Afable will serve as Commissioner of Insurance; and Brad Pfaff will serve as Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection secretary.
Rebecca Cameron Valcq, Public Service Commission
Rebecca Cameron Valcq is currently a partner at Quarles & Brady in the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, Valcq spent 15 years as regulatory counsel for We Energies where, among other responsibilities, she represented the company before the Public Service Commission in Wisconsin and advised management on multiple areas of compliance.
Craig Thompson, Department of Transportation
Craig Thompson currently serves as the Executive Director of the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin (TDA). Prior to joining TDA in 2007, he served as the legislative director for the Wisconsin Counties Association where he managed legislative initiatives at the state and federal levels. Thompson, a Racine native, has also been appointed to numerous boards by Wisconsin governors from both parties.
Mark Afable, Commissioner of Insurance
Mark Afable currently serves as the chief legal officer at American Family with corporate legal, government affairs, and compliance and claims legal divisions reporting to him. He joined American Family in 1994 and has served numerous roles in the company. Before joining American Family, Mark served as counsel for the National Association of Independent Insurers and worked for Allstate Insurance in the corporate legal area.
Brad Pfaff, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Brad Pfaff currently serves as the deputy chief of staff to U.S. Representative Ron Kind. Born and raised on a dairy farm in Western Wisconsin, he has spent most of his career working on behalf of Wisconsin farmers and rural residents. Previously, he served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency as the executive director, where he oversaw the implementation of federal crop assistance programs, the Conservation Reserve Program, and federal farm loan programs. Pfaff grew up on a dairy farm in La Crosse County.