TAFT APPOINTS INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY
COLUMBUS (December 31, 2002) - Governor Bob Taft today announced the appointment of Gary Joseph as interim director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Joseph, 45, is a native of Willowick in Lake County, and has served as the Department's assistant director since 1999. He has more than 20 years experience in management and finance with state, county, and municipal government. Prior to joining Public Safety, Joseph served as deputy director for Economic Development and Innovative Finance in the Ohio Department of Transportation.
"Gary has been an integral part of the leadership of the Department of Public Safety since 1999," Taft said. "I have every confidence that he will maintain the department's forward momentum during this transition."
Joseph assumes the role of interim director as Lt. Governor Maureen O'Connor, who has served as Public Safety director since 1999, will be sworn in as an Ohio Supreme Court Justice on January 1, 2003. He earned bachelor's degrees in Human Resources and Accounting from the University of Akron in 1985 and 1987 respectively. Joseph currently resides in Powell with his wife Leslie and their two children, Eric and Nicole.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety includes the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, State Highway Patrol, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management Agency and the Investigative Unit. The department employs more than 3,900 people.
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Contact: Jeff Grayson, Department of Public Safety, at 614-387-7432; or
Joe Andrews, Governor's Office, at 614-644-0957.