Secretary Simon Appoints New Deputy Secretary Of State And Chief Of Staff

Secretary of State Steve Simon announced today the appointment of Jack Spano as his new deputy secretary of state and Julie Strother as his new Chief of Staff.

Spano served as the secretary’s chief of staff for the last three years and played an integral role in overseeing the office’s cybersecurity, business services, election administration, communications and voter engagement efforts which helped return Minnesota to number one in voter turnout in the nation.

Strother served as the Secretary’s Director of Government Relations for the last three years and has spearheaded the Office’s efforts at the state legislature to make it easier for eligible Minnesotans to vote and to strengthen the Safe at Home address confidentiality program.

“Jake Spano and Julie Strother are talented, hardworking, and effective public servants whose leadership has been invaluable to the Secretary of State’s Office,” said Secretary Simon. “I’m proud of the work we have done and will continue to do together to improve the lives of Minnesotans in all 87 counties of our state.”

Secretary Simon also announced that Samm Bonawitz will serve as his new Director of Government Relations and Jamie Ebert will serve as his new Executive Assistant. Bonawitz served as the Secretary’s Executive Assistant for the last three years and assisted with legislative efforts. Ebert previously served as a legislative assistant in the Minnesota State Senate for the last four years.