Governor Scott Walker’s pick to run the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation believes the agency is getting back on track. Reed Hall, the former Marshfield Clinic CEO who’s been interim director since November, is expected to be confirmed by the state Senate. He met Tuesday with a Senate committee. “I think my coming on has had a certain calming influence, that’s there’s maybe not going to be quite so much turnover,” said Hall. “There was a lot of turnover last summer.”
Hall said that turnover, along with staffing shortages and an outdated computer system, are among the reasons why the public-private partnership lost track of millions of dollars in state loans.
“I think the public-private partnership that is the basis of WEDC is a very good idea,” Hall said. “It’s unfortunate that we lost the credibility that we did, and we’ve been working very hard to regain that.”
Hall said a new computer system, the hiring of a chief financial officer, and receiving assistance from the Wisconsin Bankers Association, are all among the steps being taken to improve the situation at WEDC. He told committee members that, as long as he’s in charge, the agency will undergo an annual audit.