Office of the Attorney General

 

Kevin M. St. John
Kevin M. St. John,
Deputy Attorney General

On January 8, 2011, Kevin St. John was appointed Deputy Attorney General by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. As Deputy Attorney General, Kevin  St. John is the chief operating officer of the Department of Justice. Immediately prior to his appointment as Deputy Attorney General, Kevin  St. John served as the Department of Justice’s Special Assistant Attorney General for Public Affairs and Policy. He joined the Department of Justice in that role on January 1, 2007.

 

Kevin St. John serves on the advisory board of the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute. In February 2012, Kevin  St. John was recognized as a “Leader in the Law” by the Wisconsin Law Journal.

 

Prior to his government service, Kevin  St. John practiced law with the Madison office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. St. John is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned his law degree from the University of Chicago.

Steven P. Means
Steven P. Means,
Executive Assistant

Steve Means was appointed the Department of Justice Executive Assistant by Attorney General Van Hollen on January 9, 2011. He previously served as Deputy Administrator of the Department of Justice's Division of Legal Services. In 2008, he was the Department of Justice's public records custodian. Prior to joining the Department of Justice in 2007, Steve Means engaged in the private practice of law, with a focus on business disputes and civil litigation, primarily with the Madison office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. His case experience has included the representation of private businesses, non-profit organizations, public entities, elected officials and other individuals in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Steve Means attended the University of Iowa College of Law where he received his Juris Doctor degree, with high distinction, in 1987. In law school, he served as Associate Editor of the Iowa Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following law school, Steve Means served a one-year clerkship with the Iowa Supreme Court.  

Dean F. Stensberg
Dean F. Stensberg,
Director of Public Affairs
and Policy

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appointed Dean Stensberg as the Director of Public Affairs and Policy for the Wisconsin Department of Justice effective January 8, 2011. As Director of Public Affairs and Policy, Dean Stensberg serves as a principal advisor to the Attorney General and a member of the Department's Executive Team. He supervises legislative affairs and the Attorney General’s schedule and is a senior advisor on communications and constituent relations matters. Dean Stensberg served previously as Executive Assistant at both Justice and Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections. Dean Stensberg began his career in state service as legislative aide in the Wisconsin Assembly. He joined former Governor Tommy G. Thompson's Executive Office staff in 1988, serving as Special Assistant to the Governor until his appointment as Executive Assistant at Corrections. Dean Stensberg served at the Department of Corrections for more than ten years as Executive Assistant; Policy Advisor in the Division of Community Corrections; and as a Classification Specialist in the Bureau of Classification and Movement. He came to Justice in January, 2007.

 

Division Administrators

 

Bonnie Cyganek
Bonnie Cyganek,
Administrator of the Division of Management Services

Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen appointed Bonnie Cyganek as Administrator for the Division of Management Services (DMS) effective March 12, 2012. The Division is responsible for all personnel, budget, and IT functions within the Department of Justice. Previous to this appointment, Bonnie Cyganek served as the Department of Justice Human Resources Manager. She has held various other state positions in multiple agencies since 1984 and has a business degree from Cardinal Stritch University. Bonnie Cyganek serves as the Attorney General’s designee on the Group Insurance Board.

Jill Karofsky
Jill Karofsky,
Director of the Office of Crime Victim Services

Jill Karofsky was appointed the Director of the Office of Crime Victim Services by Attorney General Van Hollen on January 3, 2011. Jill Karofsky had been the Violence Against Women Resource Prosecutor at the Department of Justice since March, 2010. In that role, she provided training and support to Wisconsin prosecutors to enhance their prosecutions of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and related offenses. Prior to that, Jill Karofsky was Director of Human Resources and Counsel at the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Jill Karofsky started her career as an Assistant District Attorney and then Deputy District Attorney for Dane County. Jill Karofsky is also an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she teaches a course she developed called Victims in the Legal System.

David S. Matthews
David S. Matthews,
Administrator of the Division of Criminal Investigation

David Matthews began his law enforcement career in 1978 as an instructor at the US Air Force Police Academy and later served as a special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Following his military service, David  Matthews served for two years with the Wisconsin State Patrol as a state trooper.  In 1988, he was hired by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) as a special agent specializing in narcotics investigation.  David  Matthews was promoted to special agent in charge in 1994.  He was assigned as an agent in the DOJ Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force as a computer forensic examiner and working in online undercover operations before being promoted to director of operations for the western region in 2010.  David  Matthews was appointed as DCI’s Deputy Administrator in 2011.

 

David Matthews holds an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from the Community College of the Air Force. In 2012, he completed a one year course of study at the Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Postgraduate School - Center for Homeland Defense and Security in Monterey, CA.

 

In October 2012, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appointed David  Matthews as the Administrator of the Division of Criminal Investigation.  In that position, he leads a group of highly skilled professionals who investigate crimes that are statewide in nature or importance, often working closely with or assisting local law enforcement.  As administrator, David  Matthews oversees the Division’s eastern and western regions of operation, including six field offices, the State Fire Marshal’s office and the Special Operations Bureau, which is comprised of the ICAC program and task force, the Wisconsin Statewide Information Center (WSIC, which is the state’s intelligence fusion center), Homeland Security, Technical Services, Amber Alert, Wisconsin Center For Missing and Exploited Children and Adults, the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network, the Computer and Digital Forensic Sections, Gaming, the DCI Tactical Team, Internal Affairs and the Public and Criminal Records sections.

Brian O'Keefe
Brian O'Keefe,
Administrator of the Division of Law Enforcement Services

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appointed Brian O’Keefe to serve as his Administrator for the Division of Law Enforcement Services (DLES) on January 24, 2011.

 

Brian O’Keefe’s law enforcement career began in 1981, as an aide in the Milwaukee Police Department. Brian O’Keefe became a sworn police officer in 1983 and later became a detective, where he investigated homicides and other violent crimes, as well as property crimes. In 1994, Brian O’Keefe became a Lieutenant of Detectives, where he supervised narcotics, prostitution and homicide investigations. In 2001, he was promoted to Captain, where he was the Commanding Officer of the Milwaukee Police Department’s Homicide Division.

 

He became Deputy Chief of Police in 2003, where he was the Commanding Officer of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, which had approximately 450 sworn and non-sworn personnel. In 2008, Brian O’Keefe left the Milwaukee Police Department to join M&I Bank as the Assistant Director of Corporate Security and Vice President. Brian O’Keefe is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and provides instruction to law enforcement professionals on a wide range of topics.

Kevin C. Potter
Kevin C. Potter,
Administrator of the Division of Legal Services

Kevin Potter is the Administrator of the Division of Legal Services. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Gonzaga University School of Law where he graduated cum laude in 1981.

 

Kevin Potter brings a variety of experience from both the public and private sectors to this position. After a year of private practice he was elected Wood County District Attorney in 1982 and re-elected in 1984 and 1986. He subsequently served as Chairman of the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission from 1987-1989 and Chairman of the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission from 1989-1991. In 1991 he was appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin by President George H.W. Bush. In that capacity he was the chief federal law enforcement official for the westernmost 44 counties of the state, directing both the office’s criminal and civil divisions. From 1993-2001 he was engaged in the private practice of law with the Brennan, Steil, Basting and McDougall law firm. He returned to public service in 2001 as the Chief Legal Counsel for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections where he served until his appointment to his present position with the Department of Justice in 2007. He also serves as the Department’s Public Records custodian.