December 15, 2011

GOV. MALLOY NAMES MARK OJAKIAN CHIEF OF STAFF

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced he has named Mark Ojakian to serve as Chief of Staff in the Governor's Office.

Ojakian, who currently is the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, will replace outgoing Chief of Staff Tim Bannon, who announced in November his impending plans to depart the position.

"It has been an honor to have Mark in our administration over the past year in his current role, helping direct the charge on the restructuring and streamlining of state government in our efforts to find efficiencies while making government leaner, less expensive, and more effective. He has a tremendous breadth of knowledge, experience, dedication and character, and an extraordinary capacity to produce results for the people of the state," Governor Malloy said.

"Specifically, he was a big part of the reason we reached an historic agreement with our state employees that will save taxpayers $21.5 billion over the next 20 years."

Governor Malloy added, "I also want to give a special thanks to Tim Bannon, who agreed to take on the responsibilities of the first year of the administration. He helped model for us an approach to the financial crisis that we inherited, and became a tireless worker on behalf of our agenda to reinvent Connecticut and improve the economic development outlook of this state. I will miss seeing him every day, though he'll remain a friend and advisor."

Immediately prior to joining the administration earlier this year, Ojakian served as Deputy Comptroller under Lieutenant Governor Wyman for 16 years when she headed that office.

"Mark and I have been friends, colleagues and members of each other's families for about 25 years, so I know how much he brings to the table on so many levels," Lt. Governor Wyman said. "He not only has an incredible understanding of how government works, but knows how to bring the best out of people in order to get things done. He has been and will continue to be a huge asset to the Governor, to me and to the State of Connecticut."

Ojakian will transition into the role by working alongside Bannon, whose final day with the Office of the Governor will be on January 5.

"In his first year in office, Governor Malloy has demonstrated his determination to change the direction of our state away from stagnation, inaction and limited results to one of growth and prosperity," Ojakian said. "Reinventing and restructuring our state will not happen overnight, but with a dedicated public servant like the Governor at the helm, I have no doubt we'll get there."

In his role as Deputy Comptroller, Ojakian acted as senior policy advisor, had administrative responsibility for over 250 employees and fiscal responsibility for over $1 billion in state accounts. He has served in a number of roles on a variety of boards and commissions throughout his career and has been an integral part of several large public policy initiatives, including implementation of Core-CT, the state's computerized financial, human resource and payroll software system aimed at modernizing outdated financial reporting functions.

Ojakian received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from St. Anselm's College in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1975 and a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the American University in Washington, DC in 1977. He lives with his husband Jason Veretto in West Hartford. He has two children, Brandon and Kyle, and two grandchildren, Connor and Madison.

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For Immediate Release: December 15, 2011

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