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DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has selected one of his top aides to become the next state Human Services commissioner.

Emily Johnson Piper, the governor’s deputy chief of staff and general counsel, will succeed Lucinda Jesson as DHS chief, beginning next week. Last week Dayton appointed Jesson to be a Minnesota Court of Appeals judge.

During a news conference Monday, Piper said she is getting a tremendous opportunity to serve the state.

“I’m so looking forward not only to the new opportunities to tackle the many challenges that come with operating the state’s largest agency, but I’m also excited to continue my work on the very important Department of Human Services issues I’ve been most directly involved in in my time at the office of the governor and lieutenant governor,” Piper said.

Piper said health care and issues related to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program are among the big challenges she’ll face in her new role. She said she plans to travel the state in the coming months to visit DHS facilities and meet with staff.

“To understand from them where there are opportunities to do more and do better for the people that we serve,” she said.

Piper, 36, previously worked for the state Commerce Department. Her salary as DHS commissioner will top $154,000.

Gov. Dayton was undergoing back surgery in Rochester and was unable to attend the news conference. His stand-in, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, praised Piper’s work for the administration on many key policy and legal issues.

Smith said given the importance of DHS, Dayton wanted a quick transition after Jesson’s departure.

“We knew that Emily Johnson Piper had exactly the leadership skills and the experience that we thought was the best fit for the department,” Smith said. “The governor felt it was an opportunity to move decisively.”

Piper is the daughter of Minneapolis City Council President Barb Johnson, who attended the announcement.

Politics and Government News

Capitol View®

Tim Pugmire

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Emily Johnson Piper said health care and issues related to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program are among the big challenges she’ll face in her new role.

Emily Johnson Piper said health care and issues related to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program are among the big challenges she'll face in her new role.

Dayton taps staffer as new human services chief

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