Kirsten Johnson, Milwaukee health commissioner who resigned, is appointed Wisconsin Department of Health Services secretary

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Kirsten Johnson has been appointed Wisconsin Department of Health Services secretary, Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday.

Monday is her last day with the city, according to the Mayor's Office. When she announced her resignation in early January, she said March 3 would be her last day.

Johnson will join the department Feb. 27, replacing secretary-designee Karen Timberlake, who joined the department in January 2021 and resigned in December. Like several other Evers appointees, Timberlake was never confirmed by the Republican-led state Legislature.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, confirmed Evers' appointment of Johnson would be sent to committee for a confirmation hearing.

“Kirsten has a storied, 20-plus year career in public health and public service, including her time serving Washington and Ozaukee Counties and the city of Milwaukee during some of our state’s toughest days,” Evers said in a statement. “I have no doubt that her wealth of experience in public health, as well as her commitment to reducing disparities in health so every Wisconsinite can live their best and fullest life, will serve the department and our state well.”

Johnson cited public shaming by a Milwaukee alderman

Johnson announced her resignation in January. The announcement came after she said she was publicly shamed by an alderman and in an email to Health Department staff alluded to a larger pattern of behavior at City Hall, according to records obtained by the Journal Sentinel through open records requests.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson has not nominated a successor, but the job description has been posted.

In a statement, the mayor called her "accomplished, talented, and a strong choice for DHS Secretary" and said he was "pleased Kirsten Johnson will continue to have a leadership role in the health of residents here and across the state."

Her departure paves the way for a fifth leader to take the Health Department's helm since longtime health commissioner Bevan Baker was pushed out in January 2018.

Deputy Commissioner Tyler Weber will lead the Milwaukee department in the interim

Deputy Commissioner Tyler Weber will lead the department in the interim.

Johnson was appointed Milwaukee health commissioner by former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in January 2021 and immediately took over the pandemic response including city-run testing sites and masking mandates and advisories.

Before coming to Milwaukee, Johnson led the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department for more than a decade. When she came to Milwaukee, she said she did not feel she was politically supported responding to the pandemic in Ozaukee and Washington counties.

In a statement Monday, Johnson said she looks forward to continuing the "important work" the Evers administration has done at the Department of Health Services.

“Over the past 20 years of my career in public health, I have worked to address the challenges and health disparities facing Wisconsin’s rural, urban, and suburban communities alike — disparities that were laid bare by the pandemic,” Johnson said.

Johnson served as a health policy fellow and advisor for U.S. Congressman Ron Kind and helped develop policies for the House Committee on Ways and Means. Johnson’s previous experience and professional roles also include serving as a program manager for the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute at the Medical College of Wisconsin and as a health education volunteer with the Peace Corps.

Johnson has her master’s degree in public health from Tulane University of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and holds certifications as a public health professional and certified education specialist. She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Medical College of Wisconsin Master of Public Health (MPH) Program Advisory Committee, the National Association of City and County Health Officials, the Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards, and the Wisconsin Public Health Association.

Corrinne Hess can be reached at chess@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @corrihess.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee health commissioner Kirsten Johnson appointed DHS secretary