Scottsdale – Arizona’s 20th Secretary of State Michele Reagan has announced the members of her incoming administration. The new leadership team consists of Lee Miller as Deputy Secretary of State, Eric Spencer as State Election Director, Liz Atkinson as CFO and Matt Roberts as Director of Communications.
“It was important to me and my transition team to place highly-regarded and experienced professionals in positions of leadership within my administration,” said Secretary-elect Reagan. “Each one of them has an exceptional skill set that will help implement my vision for improving one of the most important offices in state government.”
Lee Miller, tapped as Deputy Secretary of State, will oversee day-to-day operations of the Department of State, the Secretary of State’s office and its numerous divisions, including the State Library, Archive and Public Records Division.
Mr. Miller’s professional career began working as an attorney for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation investigating financial fraud in the banking and savings and loan industries. That work evolved into senior management positions with commercial and residential securities trading firms from coast to coast.
A noted election law attorney, Mr. Miller has provided consultation and analysis for numerous political campaigns and organizations including the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and pro-bono work for the Arizona Republican Party.
“Lee has a unique blend of legal, political, business and management experience which will make him a tremendous asset within the administration,” said Reagan. “Combined with his expertise in government affairs and lobbying, he will be able to run the Department of State efficiently and effectively.”
Eric Spencer, an election and political law attorney for Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. was selected to serve as the State Election Director. Spencer will oversee the Election Services Division, which is responsible for voter registration, campaign finance, candidate, lobbyist and elected official filings.
Before joining Snell & Wilmer in 2007, Eric was a Captain in the United States Army and served as an Infantry Platoon Leader in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 4th Infantry Division. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. Mr. Spencer graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science, and went on to receive his J.D. from Duke University School of Law and M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“The only thing more impressive than Eric’s career in law is his service to his country,” continued Reagan. “There are only a handful of people in Arizona qualified to serve as State Elections Director, and I’m delighted to have Eric on our team. We share a passion for our system of elections and we will work diligently to make it even better.”
Liz Atkinson returns to the Secretary of State’s office after serving as Administrative Division Director of the Department of Weights and Measures. She previously worked at the AZSOS from 2006 to 2008 as the Advance Directive Coordinator under then Secretary of State Jan Brewer. Ms. Atkinson is a Certified Public Accountant Candidate and holds a M.B.A. in Accounting and Graduate Degree in Financial Analysis from the Keller Graduate School of Business.
As CFO, Ms. Atkinson will be directly responsible for monitoring expenditures of the Department of State and assist with all human resource issues and staff management among other duties.
“Liz was the ideal candidate for the CFO position,” the Secretary-elect said. “With her experience in state government and knowledge of the AZSOS, she will be a vital component of the administration from day one. From all accounts she is an absolute rockstar and I’m really excited to have such a qualified person watching over the books and making sure we are spending the taxpayers’ hard-earned money wisely.
Matt Roberts, will continue in his role as Director of Communications managing media inquiries and the dissemination of information from the Secretary of State’s office.
Before joining the AZSOS in 2011, Matt worked for the Arizona Republican Party as Communications Director and previously served two New York State Senators where he was responsible for office operations and communications.
“Matt’s experience working with the media is vital as we continue to promote the actions of the office,” said Reagan. “His continued effort to provide information to the public through an enhanced communication effort will only improve Arizonans confidence in the 2nd highest elective office.”
Full bios will be available on www.azsos.gov after the inauguration.