Joel Brennan for Wisconsin

Joel was born and raised with his 10 siblings in Wisconsin, and he and his wife Audra, raised their own kids here. Over the last 25 years, he’s worked with businesses and nonprofits solving problems, making progress and growing opportunities for Wisconsin. Joel served as Executive Director of Discovery World, the largest science museum in the state, expanding opportunities for thousands of students to learn about STEM, and most recently as President of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. 

In 2018, Governor-elect Evers appointed Joel his top cabinet official, leading the Department of Administration. In that position Joel took on the challenge of putting Wisconsin back on firmer financial footing. Working with Governor Evers, Joel helped generate a nearly $4 billion dollar budget surplus and grew the state’s rainy-day fund. Joel was also a critical part of the state’s response to COVID, making sure small businesses, farmers and families across the state received the help they needed.