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Johnny Koremenos
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MADISON, Wis. – Today, Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the additions of Daniel Lennington, Lane Ruhland, and Mike Austin to the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) senior leadership team. Lennington has been named Senior Counsel, a position vacated by Paul Connell, when Connell was named Deputy Attorney General. Ruhland will serve as Director of Government Affairs, replacing Austin, who has been selected by Attorney General Schimel to serve as Policy Advisor.
“I am excited to put this team to work for the citizens of our great state,” said Attorney General Schimel. “Dan, Lane, and Mike share our vision for public safety and respect for the rule of law, and I know they will advocate tirelessly to make Wisconsin safer and stronger.”
Daniel Lennington is no stranger to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, having most recently served as one of the agency’s deputy solicitors general. Lennington joined DOJ in July 2012 as an Assistant Attorney General, specializing in civil rights and appellate litigation. From 2013 to 2015, Lennington served as Assistant Deputy Attorney General under former Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. Before joining DOJ, Lennington was a federal prosecutor in Oklahoma City, as well as an assistant attorney general in the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. Based on his successful fraud investigations and prosecutions in Oklahoma, Lennington was awarded the FBI Director’s Award and the Award for Excellence from the United States Council of Inspectors General.
Lane Ruhland has been an attorney in private practice for the past two years, specializing in campaign finance, compliance, election law, and business administration. Prior to entering the private sector, Ruhland was Policy and Communications Advisor to Senator Jerry Petrowski and Legal Counsel and Election Day Operations Director at the Republican Party of Wisconsin. During Ruhland’s time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she interned in DOJ’s Criminal Litigation Unit.
Mike Austin was named Policy Advisor by Attorney General Schimel after serving two years as Director of Government Affairs. Prior to his time at the DOJ, Mike worked at the political strategy and voter contact firm Persuasion Partners, Inc. where he served as an advisor to a variety of political candidates and elected officials. Before that, Mike served as Chief of Staff to Representative Eugene Hahn leading his policy and communications strategy.