Washington Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson continued to fill out his administration Wednesday, announcing he is retaining leaders of two agencies and shifting another executive into a leadership role at a different department.

Ferguson said he will re-appoint Marcus Glasper as director of the Department of Licensing and David Puente Jr. as director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Both men were appointed to their positions by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Glasper started as the leader of the Department of Licensing on April 1, 2023, after a five-year stint as director of the Washington Lottery. Puente was named head of the veterans agency in February 2023 after three years as the agency’s deputy director.

In a statement, Ferguson said he can “count on these talented leaders” to “make government work for the people … and protect our core freedoms.”

Glasper and Puente will serve subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

Also Wednesday, Ferguson named Secretary of Corrections Cheryl Strange as acting secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services. She ran the agency from 2017 to 2021 when Inslee appointed her corrections secretary.

Earlier this year, Strange announced her plan to retire next February. It wasn’t immediately clear if she will depart early to take on the acting secretary role.

Last week, Ferguson named K.D. Chapman-See, a veteran budget writer and policy analyst, as his director of the Office of Financial Management. She is currently the department’s legislative liaison.

Like Glasper and Puente, her appointment is subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

Meanwhile, the incoming governor is searching for new leaders of several state agencies, including the departments of transportation, corrections, health, commerce and ecology.

Current directors of most of those agencies have already announced plans to step down or retire. Mike Fong, secretary of the Department of Commerce, is the most recent, informing agency employees on Tuesday that he would exit.

— By Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard

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