Dept. Safety and Professional Services: Jennifer Garrett selected for prestigious CSG Henry Toll Fellowship

Madison, Wis. — The Council of State Governments announced Monday that Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Assistant Deputy Secretary Jennifer Garrett has been selected to participate in the 2024 Council of State Governments (GSG) Henry Toll Fellowship, the nation’s premier leadership development program for state government officials.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to represent Wisconsin and our department,” Garrett said. “I’m excited to join this group of dedicated public servants from across the country, and I look forward to collaborating with colleagues from different backgrounds, jurisdictions, and parties on the challenges confronting all of us.”

The 49 individuals chosen for this year’s fellowship class represent 34 states and U.S. territories and all three branches of state government. Garrett is one of two members of this year’s class from Wisconsin. You can find the full list here.

Since 1986, CSG has annually convened a new class of CSG Henry Toll Fellows at its national headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, for an intensive leadership boot camp. The program’s sessions are designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth, empower leaders to collaborate and communicate more effectively, and provide nonpartisan networking and relationship-building opportunities.

“Jennifer leads through collaboration, with empathy, and excels at making strategic policy decisions that drive real outcomes for the people of Wisconsin. As a result of her work, our department has been able to rebuild trust, redefine relationships, and provide regulatory leadership.” said DSPS Secretary Dan Hereth.

Garrett served as DSPS Communications Director for three years before her appointment to Assistant Deputy Secretary two years ago. In a letter supporting her nomination for this fellowship, Sec. Hereth noted Garrett’s instrumental role in bringing stakeholders together to support a path to licensure for International Medical Graduates, and he credited her as the driving force behind creation of the Midwest Licensing Collaborative.  

“While the CSG Henry Toll Fellows come from every region of our nation, from both political parties and all three branches of state government, they share one thing in common — they are all committed to improving the lives of the people they serve,” said CSG Executive Director/CEO David Adkins, a former Kansas state senator and 1993 CSG Henry Toll Fellow alumnus. “Toll Fellows are selected based on their demonstrated commitment to solve problems, to work collaboratively to get things done, and their belief that state government can and must be a force for good.”

The Toll Fellowship honors the founder of CSG, Henry Toll, who, as a former state senator from Colorado, was the driving force behind the creation of CSG in 1933. Toll Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by alumni of the program, with a focus on leaders who have already demonstrated excellence in public service but who also show promise for continuing to make a difference.

There are over 1,400 graduates of the Toll Fellowship, including four sitting state/territorial house speakers, eight sitting state supreme court justices, 10 sitting members of Congress, three sitting governors and more than 200 Toll alumni currently serving as state/territorial legislators.

For more information on the CSG Henry Toll Fellowship, visit: csgovts.info/tolls24

About DSPS: DSPS issues more than 240 unique licenses, administers dozens of boards and councils that regulate professions, enforces state building codes, and maintains the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which is a key tool in the multi-faceted public health campaign to stem excessive opioid prescribing. A fee-based agency, DSPS is self-sustaining and receives no general fund tax dollars for its day-to-day operations. With five offices and 250 employees throughout Wisconsin, DSPS collaborates with constituents and stakeholders across a wide range of industries to promote safety and advance the economy.