Attorney General Announces Promotions
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has announced two promotions. Gary Secrest is now assistant attorney general, while Matt Light is assuming the role of chief deputy attorney general.
July 31, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — Today Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced two promotions within his office. Chief Deputy Attorney General Gary Secrest will assume the new role of assistant attorney general, while Deputy Attorney General Matt Light will succeed Secrest as the new chief deputy attorney general.
“Both attorneys have been instrumental in my office's efforts representing state government, protecting consumers and upholding the rule of law. These promotions, reflecting their hard work, extensive experience and wise counsel, will allow us as a law office to align our services as a force multiplier to meet our state clients' needs even more effectively,” Zoeller said.
Gary Secrest has served in the Attorney General's Office since 2001 and became chief deputy AG in 2010. In his newly-created position of assistant attorney general, Secrest will continue to build the ongoing support the AG's Office has developed with the criminal justice system and the judiciary. He will continue to develop litigation oversight and strategy and serve as the AG’s designee to boards and commissions, such as the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. A graduate of Butler University and IU School of Law – Indianapolis, Secrest joined the AG's Office in 1984 as a law clerk in the Appellate Division, and became a deputy attorney general upon graduation and admission to the Bar in 1985. He was admitted to Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1988. He later served as chief deputy and general counsel to the State Treasurer’s Office. Secrest later served as fund administrator of the Public Deposit Insurance Fund and assistant corporation counsel in the litigation section for the City of Indianapolis, before rejoining the AG’s Office in 2001 as chief counsel of the Appellate Division, where he served until becoming Chief Deputy AG in 2010.
Matt Light will assume the chief deputy AG position as Secrest becomes assistant AG. Since 2011, Light has served as chief counsel of the AG’s Advisory and Alternative Dispute Resolution Services and will continue to supervise that division. In his new role as chief deputy, Light also will be liaison to the Governor’s newly named deputy chiefs of staff to coordinate communications between the Governor’s Office and AG’s Office. For six of the last seven legislative sessions, Light has served as one of the AG’s liaisons to state legislators and he will continue in that role to develop and implement the AG’s legislative agenda. Light worked closely with the attorney general and his executive staff to design the settlement package for the 2011 Indiana State Fair tragedy. Having joined the office as a deputy AG in 2005, Light led the development, staffing and launch of the AG’s Office’s Identity Theft Unit, one of the first such units in a state AG’s office in the nation. Light is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars regarding state contracting, legislative policy, public access to records, and administrative law, and he serves on the Indiana State Bar Association’s Board of Governors and as chair-elect of ISBA’s Young Lawyers Section. Light received his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington and has a B.A. in journalism and political science from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Both promotions take effect immediately.
Source: Office of Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller