Governor Tim Pawlenty today named Matt Kramer Acting Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employee Relations (DOER) effective August 9, 2006.

Kramer is currently with Now Medical Centers, a Minnesota-based healthcare provider. He served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development from January 2003 through April 2006.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to rejoin Governor Pawlenty’s great team,” Kramer said, “I enjoyed working in the private sector the past few months, but found that I missed public service and the chance to work for the people of our great state. I’m looking forward to tackling new opportunities at DOER.”

DOER’s two main functions include human resource management and the state employee insurance division. It administers eleven labor agreements covering 37,200 state employees and a health insurance plan that serves 129,000 state employees and their dependents. The agency’s operations include Administrative Services, Information Services, Diversity and Equal Opportunity, Labor Relations Bureau, Strategic Staffing, and the Employee Insurance Administration.

“We’re pleased to have ‘Special K’ back in action on behalf of Minnesotans,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Matt is an energetic, reform-oriented, hardworking leader who will do excellence work at DOER.”

Kramer has a B.S. degree in geography from the University of Minnesota. He lives in Shoreview with his two children and his wife.