Today, the governor announced Jeff Pertl will succeed Secretary Amundson as secretary of DCF.
Pertl is currently deputy secretary at DCF and has served in the role since 2019. Prior to his current role, Pertl was the senior policy advisor for the Office of the State Superintendent at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction from 2009 to 2018, where he worked on issues around early childhood education, school finance, and closing the achievement gap. In this role, Pertl was the department’s liaison to DCF and worked collaboratively on early childhood and family policy issues.
Pertl was a longtime Dane County Supervisor and possesses a wealth of experience in local government financial, personnel, and human services issues. Additionally, he served for several years on the Wisconsin Counties Association board of directors, working on statewide issues like youth justice reform, child welfare funding, and early childhood education access.
As a child of divorced parents, Pertl experienced firsthand the vital role child support has in creating a positive, stable family environment. As an adult, he and his wife have been licensed foster parents and their two boys were adopted at birth in Wisconsin. Both boys love participating in their neighborhood early care and education program.
Pertl received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
“Jeff has played a valuable role during my days as state superintendent and has done a similarly tremendous job as deputy secretary at the department these last five years,” said Gov. Evers. “Jeff not only has a deep commitment to serving Wisconsin’s kids and families, but an earnest appreciation for finding ways we can do more to improve the lives of people all across our state. I’m excited for him to take over this new role, and I look forward to our continued work together in the years ahead.”
“I could not be more excited and honored to embrace the role of secretary and continue building on the progress we have made under Secretary Amundson’s steadfast leadership,” said Pertl. “I want to thank Gov. Evers for his belief and trust in me to lead the department at such a crucial juncture, especially as we have important conversations about the future of our child care workforce and its impact on opportunities for working families and communities across our state. It’s been an honor and a privilege to work at the department for the last five years, and I look forward to advancing our shared goals, including strengthening our state’s child care networks and further uplifting Wisconsin’s kids, families, and communities.”