Last week Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Department of General Services Secretary Curt Topper will be leaving his position on June 30 and will be replaced by Joseph Lee, who will be the acting secretary.
According to a release by Wolf on June 10, Secretary Topper has been serving the department in this capacity since 2015. Prior to this role he was the deputy secretary of procurement for the state between 2005 and 2008. He also worked at Georgetown University where his work led to lowering the university’s operating costs by $1 million through renegotiating service and supply arrangements, as well as working with the business process and system.
“Curt is an innovative and forward-thinking leader, and in his time at the Department of General Services he has overseen ground-breaking projects to lower costs while improving services,” Wolf said. “The work of the Department of General Services often takes place behind the scenes, but it plays a crucial role in supporting the mission of every other commonwealth agency. I am grateful for Curt’s service to our commonwealth. Under Curt’s leadership, Pennsylvania has lowered the cost for goods and services purchased by state agencies, increased opportunity for small, diverse and veteran-owned businesses, received national recognition for the modernization of the commonwealth’s construction management process, and so much more.”
Topper thanked Wolf for the opportunity to lead the department, which he touted was the best in the state’s government. He said it was an “extraordinary honor” to serve as secretary. Topper also thanks the staff at his department, saying that they do “hard, important work that often goes unrecognized.”
“I hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you, and all that you do to keep our commonwealth running every day,” Topper said. “I’m proud of you, and of all that we have accomplished over the past seven years. Together, we’ve changed the way the commonwealth does business.”
Since 2019 Lee has been with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry where he first served as the special assistant to the secretary and also as the deputy secretary for administration. He was also a management consultant for North Highland. Lee graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Public Administration.
“I thank Governor Wolf for allowing me to continue serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the Department of General Services,” Lee said. “It is an honor. I look forward to working with the DGS staff to continue their great work.”
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