Governor-elect Jack Markell unveiled his nominees Wednesday to tackle the state’s growing budget crisis, a pair he said brings together “a bold record of public and private-sector success to solve our most pressing problems.”

    Markell is nominating long-time Deputy State Treasurer Ann Visalli to be director of the Office of Management and Budget and former DuPont Corporation Chief Financial Officer Gary Pfeiffer as secretary of finance, said Transition Communications Director Joe Rogalsky. Because of the state’s budget shortfall, Visalli and Pfeiffer were the first Cabinet secretaries Markell selected and announced.

    “We can and will get through this crisis and get our state’s economy moving again in a bold, new direction,” Markell said. “Both nominees bring decades of experience and records of real innovation to the table. We need to look at things in a new way if we’re going to make real change. My budget and finance team brings dramatically different perspectives to this effort.”

    Lt. Governor-elect Matt Denn joined Markell for the announcement and said he looked forward to working with the “outstanding” nominees.

    “Not only do I think that Ann and Gary are superb picks to help the state through a difficult financial time, but their willingness to serve in these jobs speaks volumes about how people view the new governor,” Denn said. “These are people who have much more lucrative options in the private sector, but they believe in Jack and want to help him get the state moving in the right direction. I think they are just the first of many impressive people who will be inspired by Jack’s plans for our state and will come forward to help.”

    The Office of Management and Budget includes the Office of the Budget, the Office of State Personnel and the majority of what was once the Department of Administrative Services, Rogalsky said. It has broad authority over the state’s personnel, facilities, international trade and development, pensions, land use, financial resources and government support services.

    “Jack Markell has always expected his team to push for bold solutions to pressing problems. He’s made clear how critical that will be to solving this budget crisis,” said Visalli, who has more than 20 years of experience in government and financial management. “I am honored by the chance to continue to serve and use my experience to help the Markell/Denn administration lead our state to greater prosperity.”

    Before joining the treasurer’s office, Visalli was a legislative fiscal policy analyst for the Office of the Controller General; a fiscal management analyst in the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families and served in various roles at the state Department of Finance; the New Castle County Economic Development Corporation and the American Institute for Public Service.

    As deputy treasurer, she oversaw the management of $1.5 billion in invested balances and helped launch several award-winning programs including the Health Rewards program, which cut the cost of employee health care, and the Partners in Procurement program that saved taxpayers millions of dollars on the cost of everyday goods and services. She also has helped oversee the rapid growth of the Delaware College Savings Plan. She earned masters and bachelor’s degrees, both in economics and both from the University of Delaware, where she has served as an adjunct faculty member since 1991.

    “Ann is one of my most trusted advisers and one of the most innovative minds in government,” Jack said. “She’s been involved in every aspect of the treasurer’s office and before that in almost every aspect of state finance.“

    The Department of Finance drives the state’s economic and fiscal policy, manages the state’s debt and provides the foundation for the state’s revenue and economic forecasting, Rogalsky said. It encompasses the Delaware Division of Accounting, the state Division of Revenue and the State Lottery Office. The Department processes several hundred thousand business and individual tax returns each year that make up much of the state’s more than $3 billion budget.

    “We are in an economic crisis of historic proportions,” said Pfeiffer. “Yet by working together with courage, creativity and fiscal discipline, we can recover from this crisis with an economy that grows sustainably and a government that works better for everyone. This is Jack’s vision and I am honored he has given me the chance to help him make it a reality.”

    The secretary of finance serves as the state’s chief financial officer, a job Pfeiffer knows well. He spent nine years as DuPont’s CFO, overseeing almost $30 billion in annual revenue at the 60,000-person company. His 32-year career with DuPont also included three years of service in Brazil; four years in Japan and various other assignments in financial, corporate and business management. He retired from DuPont in 2006. He received his MBA and his bachelor’s at the College of William and Mary.

    “Government is not a business, but it has many of the same opportunities for improvement,” Markell said. “Government can be made far more efficient, far more effective and far more responsive and responsible to all its stakeholders. Gary has a record of helping large, complex organizations do just that.

    “That the chief financial officer of one of our nation’s largest companies would agree to fill a similar role here in Delaware speaks volumes about the kind of renewed commitment to public service that’s come out of these difficult times,” he said.