Keystone Today

Department of General Services Secretary Curt Topper will be leaving his position at the end of the month, but Gov. Tom Wolf announced that he plans to hire from among state government employees by saying that Joseph Lee will be named the acting secretary.

“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. 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,” Wolf said in a release on June 10. “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.”

Lee has been with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry since 2019, starting as a special assistant to the secretary and moving up to deputy secretary of administration. He has also been the management consultant for North Highland. He received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. 

“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.”

Secretary Topper had been the secretary of DGS since 2015, and before that he was the deputy secretary of procurement for Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2008. There he led the department’s shared service centers for print production, warehousing procurement. Prior to this role he worked for Georgetown University where he helped reduce the operating costs by more than $1 million.

Topper thanked Wolf and his fellow staff at DGS who he has served with, calling it the best department in the state’s government.

“You do hard, important work that often goes unrecognized,” Topper said. “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. 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.”