Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger wasted no time in naming a transition team after her historic election as Virginia’s first female governor, including a chief of staff and deputy for her incoming administration.
“Virginia has spoken,” she said in announcing the team on Wednesday afternoon. “In every corner of the commonwealth, they made clear that they are ready for pragmatic and principled leadership that puts Virginia first.”
Spanberger turned primarily to a circle of trusted aides from her three terms in Congress representing the 7th District, as well as former leaders of the transitions for two Democratic presidents.
Bonnie Krenz-Schnurman, of Chesterfield County, will serve as chief of staff, a role she held for five years in Spanberger’s congressional office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and also for the past two years since the former congresswoman launched her campaign for governor.
She previously had served as senior policy adviser at the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama and, before that, managed a national malaria program in Tanzania for the Clinton Health Access Initiative.
Karen Mask will serve as director of the governor-elect’s transition and, after Spanberger’s inauguration on Jan. 17, as deputy chief of staff in the administration. Mask worked as field director in Spanberger’s first congressional campaign, when she unseated incumbent U.S. Rep. David Brat, R-7th, in 2018.
A resident of Chesterfield, she worked as district director during Spanberger’s first two terms, when the 7th District was anchored in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. She also worked as senior policy analyst at the Virginia Department of Health and then as special projects coordinator at the Virginia Department of Education, leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 schools.
The transition team includes seven co-chairs, including several familiar faces in Virginia politics, her campaign manager and others who have worked in national and international policy.
They are:
Norfolk Treasurer Daun Sessoms Hester, a former Democratic delegate and former member of Norfolk City Council.Laura Dillard Lafayette, of Henrico, a longtime CEO of the Richmond Association of Realtors and Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service, as well as former press secretary for former Gov. Doug Wilder.Kelly Cannon, of Chesterfield, CEO of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association Foundation, who played a major role in the state’s expansion of its Medicaid program.Marvin Figueroa, of Arlington, a former deputy secretary of health and human resources under former Gov. Ralph Northam and current vice president of health and life sciences at BGR Group.Yohannes Abraham, of Arlington, a visiting professor at the University of Virginia, former executive director of the transition team for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and former ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. A native of Springfield, he also held several positions in the White House under Obama.Chris Lu, of Arlington, a professor at UVa’s Miller Center, who served as executive director of the transition team for Obama and Biden, worked as the president’s primary liaison with federal agencies, served as deputy secretary of labor during Obama’s second term and then served as ambassador to the United Nations for management and reform.Samson Signori, of Richmond, who managed Spanberger’s campaign for governor, as well as her reelection to a third term in Congress representing the 7th District after it was redrawn under a new map by the Virginia Supreme Court in late 2021 that moved it from the Richmond area to Northern Virginia. He is a native of McLean in Fairfax County.
Spanberger also named five high-profile Virginians as honorary co-chairs of her transition team:
State Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who serves as president pro tempore and heads the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee.House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, who will now command a 64-36 majority after Democrats picked up 13 seats on Tuesday.Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William.Former U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, of Leesburg.Former U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th, of Abingdon.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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