Holcomb Appoints New Administration Department Commissioner

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Eric Holcomb has announced the the new commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration, which centrally manages state purchasing activities.

Rebecca Holwerda will replace Lesley Crane, who is stepping down Aug. 13.

Holwerda has five years of experience as the senior policy and operations director for Holcomb where she oversaw the economic development and regulatory portfolio for the state, according to the governor's office.

She was previously the regional director for former U.S. Sen. Dan Coats. Before entering public service, she worked in senior healthcare and as the international network director for Joshua Project and Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse, nonprofit groups that focused on humanitarian work in third-world countries.

“Rebecca is detail oriented and understands what it takes to deliver good government service,” Holcomb said in a statement Thursday “During her tenure in my office, she brought common sense solutions to complex issues and is committed to serving state agencies, the vender community and creating robust engagement with minority-,women- and veteran-owned businesses.”

Holwerda earned an undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado and her doctorate in education from Creighton University.