Jennifer-Ruth Green has stepped down as Indiana’s Secretary of Public Safety, Gov. Mike Braun announced Saturday, marking the first major shakeup in his cabinet since taking office.
Braun said Indiana State Police Superintendent Anthony Scott will take on an expanded role as the new secretary of public safety.
“I am pleased to announce that Anthony Scott, Superintendent of the Indiana State Police, has accepted the role of Secretary of Public Safety,” Braun said in a statement posted on X. “He will continue his strong and effective leadership of the Indiana State Police as Superintendent. Hoosiers will be safe with Anthony and the State Police setting the tone for all state government public safety agencies.”
The move came less than a year after Green joined Braun’s cabinet — and opened the door for a second congressional bid.
“She was a part of a transformative time in Indiana’s history and we wish her the best of luck on her next endeavor,” he said. The governor added that he would announce “additional personnel updates and efficiencies in the Office of Public Safety at the beginning of the week.”
On Sunday, Green posted her own statement on X.
“Many thanks to Governor Braun for the honor of serving as Indiana’s inaugural Secretary of Public Safety. I’m honored to have worked alongside so many great leaders around the state,” she said. “Secretary Scott will do an amazing job in this position, and I look forward to watching his successes. I’m off to military duty — always a privilege to wear the uniform, and I’m excited for the future.”
The military service Green referenced is not a deployment but routine National Guard duty, expected to last only a week or two.
Neither Green nor the governor’s office provided further details about her future plans, however.
Even so, Green has been a rising figure in state Republican politics since her 2022 run for U.S. Congress in Indiana’s 1st District, where she mounted a competitive challenge to Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan.
Despite losing that race, Green came within 5 percentage points in a traditionally Democratic stronghold.
Tim Edson, who served as Green’s consultant on her 2022 congressional race, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle that Green “is seriously weighing another run for Congress in northwest Indiana and Republican leaders in Indiana and nationally are encouraging her to enter the race.”
Republicans are currently weighing mid-cycle redistricting, aiming to grow the number of GOP-held seats in Congress. The 1st District, along with Marion County’s 7th District, are both held by Democrats.
Green, a combat veteran and cybersecurity expert, had been appointed to the post in December as part of Braun’s incoming administration. At the time, Braun said her “military and cybersecurity background made her uniquely qualified to lead Indiana’s public safety agencies.”
Green previously commanded the 122nd Cyber Operations Flight in Fort Wayne and deployed to Baghdad with the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, she is an FAA-certified pilot and a former Air Force Special Agent. She also served as Deputy Commander of the 11th Operations Group at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.
Upon being named secretary, Green pledged to “bring a strategic, comprehensive approach to public safety that protects Hoosier families and supports our first responders.”
Scott, who has led the Indiana State Police since earlier this year, will now oversee the state’s entire public safety apparatus while remaining in charge of the department.
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