Leadership Team

Commissioner, Commerce Department

Grace Arnold

Commissioner Arnold was initially appointed by Governor Walz in 2020 and reappointed in 2022. In February 2023, she was confirmed by the Minnesota Senate.  

In leading the state’s oversight of industries that provide financial security to Minnesotans and energy resource policy and programs in Minnesota, Commissioner Arnold is committed to ensuring Commerce’s regulated markets are fair and accessible to all Minnesotans, and that Minnesota is a leader in creating a clean energy economy. 

Arnold joined Commerce in 2019, where she served as Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Insurance. Before joining the Department, Commissioner Arnold led product development for individual and family plans at Bright Health, a Minneapolis-based health insurer. She spent nearly a decade at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where she helped lead the technology turnaround of healthcare.gov and led policy development during the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.  

Assistant Commissioner, Chief of Staff

Hali Kolkind

Kolkind is the Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff at the Minnesota Department of Commerce for the Commissioner’s Office. She joined the Commerce Department in 2021 and supervises the Government Affairs, Communications, Tribal Affairs, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Community Engagement and Employee Culture offices at the agency. Hali manages the Department's strategic plan, continuous improvement, strategic initiatives and serves as the chief advisor to the Commissioner on internal and external agency operations and department policy. Prior to joining Commerce, Hali was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Governor and Lt. Governor on health, human services and health insurance. She has a background in legislative affairs and public policy along with a Master's of Public Administration degree.

Administration Deputy Commissioner

Tim Jahnke

As Commerce Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Tim Jahnke serves as Chief Operating Officer for Commerce, with oversight for Commerce’s Licensing, Unclaimed Property, Weights & Measures, Petrofund, Regulatory Information Center, accounting, finance, human resources, and internal controls business units. Jahnke joined Commerce in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Commerce, Jahnke served as executive budget officer for Minnesota Management and Budget, where he assisted state agencies to prepare budget requests for inclusion in the Governor’s budget. He also served in accounting roles for Minnesota Departments of Administration, Transportation and the Board of Animal Health.

Deputy Commissioner of Energy Resources

Pete Wyckoff, PhD

Wyckoff was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Energy Resources in September 2024. He joined Commerce in March 2023 as Assistant Commissioner of Federal and State Initiatives for the Energy Resources Division. During that time, he has worked closely with the Governor’s Office and Legislature to coordinate efforts to bring millions in federal clean energy funds to Minnesota. He oversaw the Commerce Offices of Energy Affordability and Energy Development during a time of rapid expansion, as Commerce has worked to stand up many new programs funded by recent federal and state legislation. Prior to joining Commerce, Wyckoff served as Senior Policy Advisor for Energy for U.S. Senator Tina Smith. He also worked for former U.S. Senator Al Franken and at the U.S. Department of Energy during his time in Washington, DC. Wyckoff is an environmental scientist by training and an emeritus professor of the University of Minnesota Morris. Wyckoff received his bachelor’s degree in biology and political science from Drew University in New Jersey and a PhD in Ecology from Duke University in North Carolina.

Assistant Commissioner of Regulatory Affairs, Energy Resources Division

Sydnie Lieb, PhD

Lieb oversees the Department’s work at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on regulatory issues, encompassing energy resource financial analysis, planning, and policy, as well as Minnesota’s Energy Conservation and Optimization Program (formerly the Conservation Improvement Program). Lieb has experience in industry and government, for energy and climate work. Prior to joining the Department of Commerce as Regulatory Affairs Director in October 2023, she was energy and environmental policy manager for Xcel Energy, managed research for an energy consulting firm, worked in environmental protection for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in air pollution control for the California Air Resources Board, and as a scientific advisor for tech start-ups. She graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from Washington University in St. Louis and obtained her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California.

Assistant Commissioner, Federal and State Initiatives, Division of Energy Resources

Lissa Pawlisch

Pawlisch joined Commerce in March 2023 as the Energy Development Office Director in the Division of Energy Resources and became Assistant Commissioner of Federal and State Initiatives in September 2024. Since joining Commerce, she has worked to expand the Energy Development team to respond to the influx of Minnesota clean energy opportunities. With her team, she has worked to secure additional federal funding, to stand up and implement an array of new state and federally funded programs, and to continue the technical assistance, environmental review, and education and outreach activities Commerce has done for many years. She has worked on advancing clean energy – conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy - for over 20 years. She previously led the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) partnership working to support and center community engagement clean energy project development. Pawlisch received her bachelor’s degree from Macalester College and M.S. degree in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.

Deputy Commissioner of Financial Institutions

Michael Crow

Michael Crow oversees the Financial Institutions Division. He has been responsible for overseeing the Department’s regulation of state-chartered banks and credit unions, as well as non-depository (non-bank) financial institutions licensed in Minnesota, encompassing trust and finance companies, mortgage-related businesses, money transmitters and the securities industry. Crow joined the Department in 2010 and previously served as Director of Banking & Trust and as Regional Program Director.  He has a background in risk analysis and accounting and is a graduate from the University of Colorado Graduate School of Banking. .

Deputy Commissioner of Insurance

Julia Dreier

Julia Dreier was appointed in 2021 as Deputy Commissioner for Commerce’s Insurance Division, which serves Minnesotans through insurance policy and insurance regulation, including licensing, examination, policy and rate reviews for health, homeowners, auto, workers’ compensation, long-term care and life insurance, and for pharmacy benefits management. Prior to joining Commerce, she was with IMPAQ International, a global policy research and analytics firm and provided strategic policy and operational advice to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She served on the leadership team in the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight and led efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act commercial insurance market reforms. In Minnesota, Dreier worked in public policy for the Minnesota Council of Health plans and for the Service Employees International Union.

Enforcement Assistant Commissioner

Jacqueline Olson

As Assistant Commissioner of Enforcement, Olson oversees the civil enforcement Multi-Industry, Real Estate, and Insurance investigative teams, the Market Conduct enforcement team, and the Consumer Service Center, which works to address complaints about businesses and professionals regulated by Commerce. She joined Commerce in 2017, where she supervised Enforcement’s Multi-Industry investigation team. In 2022, she was promoted to Senior Director for Licensing, Consumer Support and Unclaimed Property. Prior to joining Commerce, Olson worked as a litigation attorney for Minneapolis-based law firms.

Kim Luchsinger
Human Resources Director

Sam Smith
Government Relations Director

Nancy Linden
Communications Director