COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has made the following appointments to positions on his staff.

Christine Morrison has accepted the position of director of cabinet affairs.  Throughout her career, Morrison has held a variety of positions within state government.

Most recently, she served as the chief of staff to Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp in the 134th General Assembly, where she was responsible for the daily operations of the chamber.

Kara B. Wente has accepted the position of director of the governor’s Children’s Initiative.

DeWine’s office said Wente has dedicated her career to the human services sector, including serving as the assistant director of Human Services at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Most recently, Wente was the chief operating officer for Future Ready Columbus, which seeks to prepare Franklin County children to enter Kindergarten ready to learn by 2030.   

Scott Partika has been promoted to policy director for the Governor’s Office. Partika, a native of the Mahoning Valley, has served as the assistant policy director for Human Services in the Governor’s Office for the past two years. In this role, he oversaw policy for the Ohio departments of Medicaid, Aging, Mental Health & Addiction Services, Health, Veterans Services, Developmental Disabilities, Insurance, and Job and Family Services.

Haylee Dunahay has accepted the position of director of Boards and Commissions for the Governor’s Office. Dunahay most recently served on the DeWine Husted Inaugural Committee and as political director for the DeWine-Husted 2022 gubernatorial campaign.

Dunahay was also director of coalitions in the Governor’s Office during his first term.