Gov. Tony Evers today announced the appointment of Kirsten Johnson to serve as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), effective Feb. 27, 2023, and the appointment of Dr. Joan M. Prince to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.
Johnson fills the vacancy created by former Secretary Karen Timberlake’s departure at the end of last year, while Prince fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Tracey Klein.
Johnson has more than 20 years of experience as a public health leader. She joins the administration after previously serving as the health commissioner for the city of Milwaukee following her appointment in January 2021. Prior to serving the city of Milwaukee, Johnson led the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department for more than a decade as the director and health officer, overseeing the merger of the two counties’ health departments.
Prince, a Milwaukee native, was the first African American to hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in clinical laboratory medicine with a specialty in flow cytometry and hematology and a doctorate in medical science education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She served as the vice chancellor of global inclusion and engagement and as an associate professor in biomedical sciences at her alma mater from 2000 to 2021.
