Dayton fills final 3 spots in cabinet

Gov. Mark Dayton filled the final three spots in his cabinet Tuesday, naming the leaders of the Bureau of Mediation Services, the Department of Human Rights and the Department of Administration.

The governor's cabinet is comprised of two dozen executive posts that oversee state agencies.

Josh Tilsen will lead the Bureau of Mediation Services. He is currently a full-time hearing officer and mediator with the bureau.

"Since 1939, the Bureau has had the responsibility for settling labor disputes constructively and fairly. This work is important to the state's economy and the state's workers," Dayton said in a news release. "Josh Tilsen is respected for his professionalism by both management and labor, and I am confident he will lead this agency well."

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Earlier in the day, Dayton selected Kevin Lindsey as his new commissioner of human rights.

Lindsey is a civil litigation attorney in the Office of the Ramsey County Attorney. He will lead an agency with a mission "to make Minnesota discrimination-free."

"Kevin is a respected lawyer and advocate with deep experience in the community working on issues of fairness in the workplace and in the community," Dayton said in a news release. "He will be a strong, professional voice in the Dayton Administration."

Spencer Cronk will run the state Department of Administration. Cronk previously worked as Executive Director of Organizational Development and Senior Advisor for the Department of Small Business Services for the City of New York.

He worked in the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to streamline and reorganize city services and built a track record around performance improvement, data-driven decision-making and finding efficiencies in large organizations.

"Spencer is a talented leader who has demonstrated his ability to get results in large, complex public sector organizations," Dayton said in a news release. "He brings great energy and experience to my administration. I welcome him as key player in our administration's efforts to make state government work better for people."