DASS Leadership

As a former Marine, father of three daughters, an attorney, and an elections administrator — Adrian has spent his whole career fighting for justice and democracy, and is continuing that mission as Arizona’s 21st Secretary of State. Adrian is a proud Arizona native who has spent a lifetime fighting for justice and defending our democracy. He served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1992 to 1996, and was nominated for a meritorious commission. 

After graduating from law school, Adrian spent his career advocating for justice and fighting for those who are disadvantaged — first as a prosecutor with the Denver District Attorney and then at the Maricopa County Attorney’s office. He later led the International Prosecution Unit at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. He practiced law for 15 years before running for office in 2016 when he was elected Maricopa County Recorder. As Recorder, Adrian revolutionized the election system by ensuring that every eligible Arizonan had the access they needed to vote. Adrian enhanced ballot tracking technology and increased process transparency, winning recognition and awards from election organizations across the country.

In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 crisis and amidst violent protests, Maricopa County saw record voter turnout, as well as record numbers of new voters registered for both parties. Adrian later testified before Congress to inform them of threats facing election officials — including those that he faced from protestors outside their office in 2020.  

As Secretary of State, Adrian is committed to preserving integrity in our elections, increasing transparency in the Secretary of State’s office, making voting easier for registered voters, and ensuring that Arizona’s business community has a partner in the Secretary’s office.

Stephanie Thomas was sworn in as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State on January 4, 2023. With a distinguished 30-year career advising and problem-solving for nonprofit organizations, running her own business, and serving as a State Representative of the 143rd District (Norwalk, Wilton, Westport), Secretary Thomas brings a unique blend of business expertise and a passion for civics to public service.

Since taking office, Secretary Thomas has led the implementation of significant election reforms in the state, including the successful roll-out of early voting. In September 2023, she secured a historic investment of $25 million to replace the state’s aging tabulators, marking Connecticut’s first voting machine upgrade since 2006. During her term, Secretary Thomas will also institute a new centralized voter registration system, election night reporting system, upgrades to the business.ct.gov portal and oversee the implementation of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of Connecticut, universal access to absentee ballots and automatic voter registration at several Connecticut agencies.

A former small business owner, Secretary Thomas has worked to pass business-friendly legislation, and she has created a monthly e-newsletter that aggregates funding and training resources in one place to save business owners’ time.

Secretary Thomas believes that a healthy representative democracy relies on regular and active participation in civic life by all. To promote robust civic engagement, she has met Connecticut’s communities in their own spaces, thereby cultivating a nonpartisan dialogue between the people and their government. She has travelled to barbershops and salons around the state as part of her Connect & Cut series, held civic trivia events at local libraries, encouraged businesses and nonprofits to be civic ambassadors through her innovative CEO (Civically Engaged Organization) program, and put the power of civics into the hands of the public by providing plain-language, civics resources at Civics101.ct.gov.

Secretary Thomas made history as the first Black person to be elected Secretary of the State of Connecticut. She has dedicated time to serving on many boards and strategic planning committees, and she has been an active volunteer in her community. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Secretary Thomas holds a B.A. from New York University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from New School University. She and her husband are proud residents of Norwalk, Connecticut.

Alexi Giannoulias was sworn in as the Secretary of State of Illinois on January 9, 2023, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office in nearly 25 years. As Secretary of State, he oversees one of the largest and most critical state agencies, managing Illinois’ driver services, business registrations, libraries, and election integrity efforts.

Prior to serving as Secretary of State, Giannoulias was Illinois State Treasurer from 2007 to 2011, where he focused on financial reform, ethical oversight, and investment strategies that supported economic growth. He also worked in the private sector as a community banker and later as the chairman of the Illinois Community College Board.

Throughout his career, Giannoulias has been a champion of modernizing government services, protecting voting rights, and expanding access to public resources. As Secretary of State, he has prioritized upgrading the DMV experience, strengthening cybersecurity for elections, and improving transparency in government operations.

Giannoulias holds a law degree from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University. A lifelong Illinois resident, he continues to advocate for innovative policies that streamline government services and promote equity and accessibility for all Illinoisans.

Secretary Sarah Godlewski is a fifth generation Wisconsinite from Eau Claire. She is a pragmatic leader who has an impressive career in both government and business. Appointed by Governor Evers as the 29th Secretary of State of Wisconsin, Sarah made history by becoming only the third woman to hold this esteemed position.

Prior to becoming Secretary of State, Sarah successfully led a bipartisan coalition to save the State Treasurer Office after politicians tried to remove the office through a ballot initiative. Sarah was elected and served as the Wisconsin State Treasurer from 2019-2023. In this role, she prioritized economic opportunities and building wealth by creating a program that supports first-time homebuyers and assists Wisconsinites facing foreclosure. Further, she was recognized for her leadership developing a child savings account program called 401(K)ids. As the State’s Chief Financial Officer, Sarah fostered taxpayer transparency by creating the first-ever taxpayer reports and a task force of local treasurers that developed a property tax portal to assist taxpayers.

As chair of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, Sarah leads a $1.4 billion trust fund that provides essential resources to Wisconsin public schools and invests in local communities. Sarah started as chair for the BCPL in 2019 as State Treasurer and was re-elected to this position in 2023 as Secretary of State. Since Sarah’s tenure on the BCPL, the fund has provided record-breaking distributions to public schools annually and has invested in over 600 community projects. When the pandemic hit, Sarah led the fund to provide an additional $5.25 million to Wisconsin schools to support remote learning and address the digital divide.

Prior to her public service, Sarah co-founded MaSa Partners, an impact investment firm that invests in early-stage, mission-driven, businesses. She also served as a founding member of WE Capital Fund, which empowers female entrepreneurs through financing opportunities and separately supported micro lending work in rural India – in both experiences she saw how access to capital can transform communities.

Sarah started her career supporting the Pentagon for nearly a decade where she helped save taxpayers millions of dollars. She graduated with a degree in peace and conflict resolution from George Mason University and was a national security fellow with the Air War College. She has a Certificate in Public Treasury Management from the National Institute of Public Finance and Pepperdine School of Management. Sarah loves spending time outdoors with her husband Max, son Hartley, and their rescue dog Tanner. In addition, Sarah enjoys cheering on Wisconsin sports teams and is a proud Packers shareholder.​​​​​​

Steve Simon is Minnesota’s 22nd Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 5, 2015, and as Minnesota’s chief elections administrator pledged in his inaugural address to “work with anyone, of any political affiliation, from any part of our state” to protect, defend, and strengthen the right to vote in Minnesota.

As Secretary of State, he partners with township, city, and county officials to organize elections on behalf of Minnesota’s nearly four million eligible voters, and to ensure that the election system is fair.

Simon also oversees a wide range of services for Minnesota businesses and administers the “Safe at Home” address confidentiality program for people whose personal safety is at risk, often due to physical abuse or threats.

His goals as Minnesota’s Secretary of State are straightforward: expand access to voting, remove barriers to voting, make business services as streamlined as possible, strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and, most importantly, be a Secretary of State for all Minnesotans.

Before being elected Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Simon served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for ten years representing the communities of St. Louis Park and Hopkins.

Simon spent much of his time in the state legislature immersed in elections issues, including serving as the chair of the House Elections Committee in 2013 and 2014. He played a lead role in many of the election reforms that Minnesota has embraced over the last several years, including no-excuse absentee voting, online voter registration, and easier access to voting for Minnesotans overseas, including those in the military.

Simon also served as Assistant Attorney General of Minnesota and worked as a lawyer in private practice for several years.

Simon grew up in St. Louis Park and Hopkins. He graduated with a B.A in Political Science from Tufts University in Massachusetts in 1992, and earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996. Simon and his wife Leia live in Hopkins with their two children, Hannah and Noah, and rescue dog, Hugo.