St. Paul-Today Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Spencer Cronk as Commissioner of the Department of Administration. Mr. Cronk comes to his position with significant experience in government redesign and organizational development. He previously served as Executive Director of Organizational Development and Senior Advisor for the Department of Small Business Services for the City of New York. In the Bloomberg Administration, Mr. Cronk worked to streamline and reorganize city services and built a track record around performance improvement, data-driven decision-making and finding efficiencies in large organizations. Among his accomplishments include the design and implementation of a comprehensive performance management system, and the development of a program for integrating new employees, which was used citywide as a best practice template for the City of New York's 300,000 employees.

The Minnesota Department of Administration provides a broad range of business management, administrative and professional services and a variety of resources to state and local government agencies and to the public. In addition to assisting government agencies with strategic planning and organization, the Department of Administration manages over 800 leases and preserves state assets by managing risk.

"Spencer is a talented leader who has demonstrated his ability to get results in large, complex public sector organizations," said Governor Dayton. "He brings great energy and experience to my administration. I welcome him as key player in our administration's efforts to make state government work better for people."

"I am excited to join the Dayton Administration and work with the Governor to develop more efficient processes that deliver better results for Minnesotans," said Cronk. "Now more than ever Government needs to learn how to do more with less, and I'm committed to enhancing inter-agency cooperation and eliminating unnecessary redundancies in order to create a leaner, more cost-effective Government that delivers high-quality, professional services to citizens."

Prior to working in the Bloomberg Administration in New York City, Cronk worked in Oakland, California for the National Community Development Institute, where he helped provide capacity-building support for non-profit organizations, including strategic planning, human capital development and fiscal sustainability. He is a graduate of Harvard University's Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program and was a Public Affairs Fellow with the Coro New York Leadership Center. Mr. Cronk grew up in Minnesota and received his Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.