The Wisconsin state secretary of health, who held the position for the past two years, including when the COVID-19 vaccine was first distributed, will leave the administration of Gov. Tony Evers, the governor announced Friday.
Karen Timblerlake is the second Cabinet member to announce that they will not return since Evers won re-election. The secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, Preston Cole, retired last month.
Evers has not named replacements for either post.
THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN. TONY EVERS DEFEASES REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER FOR SECOND TERM
FILE – Wisconsin Secretary of Health Karen Timberlake is the second member of Gov. Tony Evers’ cabinet to resign since his re-election to the highest office in the Badger state.
(AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)
Timberlake became secretary of the Department of Health Services in January 2021 after her predecessor, Andrea Palm, left to work in President Joe Biden’s administration. Timberlake is among many of Evers’s appointees who never received a confirmation vote in the Senate, but that didn’t stop him from getting the job done.
Timberlake will leave on Jan. 2, the day before Evers is to be sworn in for his second term, the governor’s office said.
THE REPUBLICAN LEADER OF THE WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY RESIGNS MONTHS EARLY
“Karen joined our administration at a critical time during the coronavirus pandemic, bringing with her a wealth of experience and insight,” Evers said in a statement. “We owe her our gratitude for returning to this role during an incredibly challenging time for our state, and there is no question that she helped us save lives.”
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It was the second time Timberlake had served as the state’s health secretary. He also served under Governor Jim Doyle for the last two years and eight months of his second term.
