Press Releases
01/08/2019
OPM Secretary-Designate McCaw Announces Leadership Team
(NEW HAVEN, CT) – Melissa McCaw, the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Secretary-designate, today announced the agency’s leadership team. McCaw announced the following appointments:
- Natalie Wagner, Deputy Secretary
- Jonathan Harris, Undersecretary of Comprehensive Planning and Intergovernmental Policy
- Mark Pelka, Undersecretary for Criminal Justice
In addition to these new team members, Anne Foley will continue in her role as Undersecretary of the Policy Development and Planning Division and Fae Brown-Brewton will continue as the Acting Undersecretary of Labor Relations.
“I’m so pleased to be joined at the Office of Policy and Management by these strong leaders, thoughtful minds and committed public servants,” said McCaw. “I look forward to working with them as we craft a budget that supports the priorities outlined by Gov.-elect Lamont during the campaign. Together with the legislature, municipal leaders and other stakeholders, we can create a Connecticut that is attractive to new businesses and young families, alike.”
Natalie Wagner currently works as a member of the School Law Practice Group at the law firm of Shipman & Goodwin LLP, where she represents school districts in general and special education matters. Wagner has extensive experience in state government, having worked in both the executive and legislative branches, most recently as Undersecretary for Legal Affairs for the Office of Policy and Management. Prior to that, Wagner served as the Director of Legal and Government Affairs for the State Department of Education and as Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor, previously serving in that role for the Connecticut Senate Democrats. Wagner lives in West Hartford with her wife and their four children.
Jonathan Harris is an experienced public servant having served in both the legislative and executive branches of Connecticut State Government, as well as in municipal government. Harris served as a West Hartford Town Councilor and Mayor and was elected to the State Senate in 2004, holding that seat for three terms. After leaving the Senate, he served as Deputy Treasurer for Connecticut, Executive Director of the State Democratic Party and Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. Harris served in private practice for 25 years concentrating on commercial and real estate law. In 2007, he founded Harris Collaborations, a real estate and economic development firm. He lives in West Hartford with his wife, Lucy, and their son.
Marc Pelka currently serves as the Deputy Division Director for State Relations at the Council of State Governments. In that role, he helps lead the CSG Justice Center’s efforts to enact justice reinvestment legislation to contain states’ correction costs and lower recidivism, with a particular emphasis on engaging victims of crime and their advocates in several of these states. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Pelka served on the communications and policy staff in the Connecticut House of Representatives, which included serving as a Policy Aide to the Speaker of the House. His duties included legislative research, planning, and coordination, with a focus on policy before the Judiciary Committee. Pelka earned his bachelor’s degree with honors from New York University and his master’s degree in criminal justice policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He lives in New Haven with his fiancé.
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