Gov.-elect Tom Corbett today announced he intends to nominate Carol Aichele, 60, of Tredyffrin, Chester County, as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Dan Meuser, 46, of Shavertown, Luzerne County, as Secretary of Revenue and names George White, 53, of Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, as the Chief Information Officer.
“I’m pleased that this group of high-caliber professionals is joining my administration,” said Corbett. “I look forward working with them as we tackle the challenges facing Pennsylvania.”
Carol Aichele - Secretary of Commonwealth
Corbett said that Aichele currently serves on the Chester County Board of Commissioners. Under her leadership, the County was awarded three Triple-A bond ratings for its excellent financial management practices, and was the first county in Pennsylvania to undertake a strategic plan that has established priorities for the future and increased accountability, transparency and performance in county government.
Prior to being Commissioner, Aichele was the first woman Controller in Chester County, where she supervised the fiscal affairs of the county, including the accounts, transactions and official acts of all officers and persons entrusted with county funds.
She was also the president of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Controllers and a member of the Government Finance Officers Association of Pennsylvania.
Aichele is also active in her community, particularly in areas of education. She serves on numerous councils and boards, including past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Councils of Trustees, past chair of the Council of Trustees of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and former president of the Tredyffrin-Easttown Board of School Directors.
Corbett noted that Aichele also taught elementary and middle school math and science.
Aichele was one of three county officials in the nation to receive a 2010 Courthouse Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo), recognizing her vision and commitment to innovative government that is fiscally responsible. She was also named 2007 Woman of the Year, Philadelphia Chapter of Women in Transportation and received the March of Dimes Chester County Woman of Achievement for Public Service award in 2002.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth administers the Department of State. The Department protects the public's health, safety and welfare by licensing more than 800,000 business, health and real estate professionals; maintaining registration and financial information for thousands of charities soliciting contributions from Pennsylvanians; overseeing Pennsylvania's electoral process; maintaining corporate filings; and sanctioning professional boxing, wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts in the Commonwealth.
Aichele received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University.
Aichele and her husband, Steve, have been married for 39 years and have three grown children and four grandchildren.
Dan Meuser - Secretary of Revenue
Corbett said that in 1988, Meuser began his career as a regional manager at Pride Mobility Products Corporation, which has become the worldwide leading manufacturer of mobility products for seniors and the disabled. Since then, Meuser worked his way through the ranks of the company, becoming president of Pride USA in 2001.
While Meuser was president, Pride’s revenue grew from $170 million to more than $300 million and grew to more than 1,000 employees.
Meuser stepped down as president of Pride USA in 2008, but still serves the company as a board member and consultant.
Meuser is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Business Council, a board member of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wilkes-Barre YMCA and the Board of Trustees at Misericordia University.
The Department of Revenue is responsible for collecting Personal Income Tax, Sales and Use Tax, all corporate taxes, Inheritance Tax, Realty Transfer Tax, Motor Fuel Taxes and all other state taxes. In addition, the department collects the Local Sales Tax for Allegheny and Philadelphia counties, the Public Transportation Assistance Tax and funds for the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority.
The Department of Revenue also administers the Pennsylvania State Lottery, which generates funds for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians, the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program and the Public Utility Realty Tax reimbursement, prepares the tax expenditure portion of the Governor’s Budget and licenses distributors and manufacturers of small games of chance.
Meuser majored in economics at Cornell University. He has been married for 20 years and has two daughters and a son.
George White - CIO
Corbett said that White currently serves as Chief Information Officer for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General where he is responsible for developing and implementing the office’s overall information technology strategy and oversees all of the office’s information technology functions and operations.
Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, White was the National Director for Professional Services with IntelliMark, overseeing the firm’s application development, consulting and training lines of business. He came to IntelliMark after serving as a senior manager with Deloitte Consulting’s national e-government practice where he was involved with major initiatives in Michigan, Minnesota, the federal Transportation Safety Administration and the City of Philadelphia.
Prior to that, White spent 18 years in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office of Administration as a senior IT manager and was responsible for developing a number of Governor Ridge’s key IT initiatives such as Link-2-Learn, the PA PowerPort and JNET.
White represents the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) on the US Department of Justice – Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative and has provided direction to several other state Attorney General Offices on information technology.
He was one of 10 individuals selected to receive the 2007 Government Computer News IT Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals each year from federal, state and local governments for outstanding work in the field of government information technology. In 2009, George was selected as one of Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2009 and he was also the recipient of the Central Pennsylvania Technology Council’s 2009 Outstanding Leadership in Technology award.
White received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Trenton State College and his Master’s in public administration from the Pennsylvania State University.
White and his wife, Patricia, have been married for 30 years and have a grown son and daughter.
Other Nominations So Far
-- William F. Ward, of Pittsburgh, as Chief of Staff;
-- Annmarie Kaiser, of West Hanover Township,Dauphin County as Secretary of Legislative Affairs;
-- Jennifer Branstetter, of Camp Hill, Cumberland County as Director of Policy and Planning;
-- Kevin Harley, of East Petersburg, Lancaster County, Director of Communications;
-- Charles Zogby, of Mechanicsburg, York County, as Secretary of the Budget;
-- Eli Avila, of Hampton Bays, NY, as Secretary of Health;
-- John Wetzel, of Chambersburg, Franklin County, as Secretary of Corrections;
-- C. Alan Walker, of Clearfield, as Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development;
-- Glenn Moyer, of Oley Township, Berks County, as Secretary of Banking;
-- Kelly Powell Logan, of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, as Secretary of Administration;
-- Sheri Phillips, of Harrisburg as Secretary of General Services;
-- Glenn Cannon, of Pittsburgh, as the Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency;
-- Frank Noonan, of Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County, as State Police Commissioner; and
-- Kenya Mann Faulkner, of Ambler, Montgomery County, as Inspector General.
