File photo: Glenn Youngkin, governor-elect of Virginia, speaks to members of the media as Ralph Northam, current governor, listens outside the Executive Mansion in Richmond, Virginia. on Nov. 4, 2021. Youngkin, the first Republican to win statewide election since 2009, defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor’s race despite President Biden carrying the state by 10 points a year earlier.
Virginia’s governor-elect has named his commerce and finance secretaries.
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin named Northern Virginia business executive Caren Merrick to serve as commerce secretary on Tuesday. He announced his selection of finance executive Steve Cummings for finance secretary on Wednesday. Youngkin, a Republican, takes office Jan. 15.
Merrick has served as the CEO of the Virginia Ready Initiative, a workforce training nonprofit founded last year by Youngkin. Merrick co-founded WebMethods, a software development company, and is a partner in NextGen Venture Partners, according to a news release.
“Virginia’s jobs machine has stalled out, and Caren is going to play a pivotal role on the team that will jumpstart our economy and reinvigorate job growth here in the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.
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Cummings is the former president and CEO of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in the Americas. He has also served as the chairman of UBS’s investment banking division in the Americas and global head of corporate and investment banking at Wachovia Bank.
“Steve shares my vision of respecting Virginians’ hard-earned tax dollars and ensuring the Commonwealth’s budget is managed effectively and efficiently, ” Youngkin said.
On Monday, Youngkin announced that he had chosen education data consultant Aimee Rogstad Guidera to be education secretary.
