By KARA BROOKS
Office Of Indiana Governor Mike Pence

Governor Mike Pence has named Kent Abernathy as Commissioner for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Abernathy currently serves as Chief of Staff at Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Current Commissioner Don Snemis will serve as Special Counsel for Program Integrity at Family and Social Services Administration effective February 12, 2015.

“Don Snemis has led the Bureau of Motor Vehicles with great integrity as he worked over the past year to identify and solve problems that have existed within the agency for several years,” said Governor Pence. “I am confident that Kent Abernathy, with an extensive background in leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, will continue to implement these solutions and serve Hoosiers well as Commissioner for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.”

Upon completion of active military duty, serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, Abernathy began a career in business and finance. He served in the banking industry in New York City before returning to Indianapolis, where he served as Vice President of National City Bank, now PNC, and Vice President of Bank One, now JP Morgan Chase, before founding his own consulting business, Eagle Advisors in Carmel.

Abernathy returned to active duty in September 2003, serving in leadership positions at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and Baghdad, Iraq. He also served as interim Director of the U.S. Central Command Washington Liaison Office, under the command of the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and later, under General David Petraeus. Abernathy retired from U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel in March 2010, shortly after joining the administration of Governor Mitch Daniels as Chief of Staff for IDEM.

He received his Bachelor of Science at United States Military Academy (West Point), his Master of Science in Management at Oakland City University, and his Master of Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.

Abernathy will begin his role on Feb. 12.