Senate advises and consents to gubernatorial nominees including adjutant general and housing director

Committee reports on gubernatorial nominations were read into the Senate record on May 18, 2026, and the Senate voted to advise and consent to the nominees the committees recommended.

The committee on director nominations read a report recommending John A. Conley be approved and confirmed as adjutant general and director of the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. The committee on director nominations also recommended a nominee for director of the Arizona Department of Housing (name read into the record in varying forms in the transcript). The committee on finance recommended the confirmations of Thomas J. Connolly and Charles Essex to the Arizona State Retirement System Board; the committee on health and human services recommended Lynette Livesay to the State Board of Psychologist Examiners.

The Senate recorded voice or roll-call assent to the confirmations and the secretary was instructed to notify the governor and the secretary of state. The committee reports were read into the record and the Senate’s advice-and-consent votes were entered by the clerk.

Context and notes: The transcript includes inconsistent spellings for one housing director nominee as read into the record (variants recorded in committee-reading segments). Where the record differs, this article reports nominations as they were read into the Senate journal; the secretary has been instructed to notify the governor and secretary of state regarding confirmed appointments.

Next steps: Confirmed nominees’ appointments will be transmitted per statutory and administrative processes; the Senate record shows the secretary will notify relevant offices.