Gibbs gets nod as chief of staff

Jason Gibbs of Waterbury has been named chief of staff for Vermont’s next governor, Phil Scott.

Gibbs is thrilled at the appointment, announced last week: “It is a tremendous honor to be able to serve the people of Vermont and to assist Gov.-elect Phil Scott. I’m excited to be able to make this small contribution to our state.”

Gibbs was the communications guru for Jim Douglas, the last Republican to be governor.

Douglas said he had offered Scott some thoughts on potential appointees, including Gibbs for the key job as chief of staff. Douglas described Gibbs as “full of energy” and a “skilled manager who knows and loves Vermont.”

Douglas said the chief of staff helps out with “everything.” (Douglas’ former chief of staff, Tim Hayward, is directing Scott’s transition efforts.)

“The chief of staff has to make sure the train runs on time, make sure the governor is on schedule, has the information that he needs,” Douglas said. “He has to supervise the rest of the staff, oversee the office’s budget. More than the official duties, I see the role as a close confidant of the governor’s who knows what he would do in various circumstances and speak for him when he has to.”

“I bring to this job a deep wealth of knowledge that I gained both in my previous time in state government and in other work,” Gibbs said. “There are definitely best practices that I have seen, not just from the Douglas administration, but from other administrations, that we can draw on.”

After six-plus years as a top adviser in the Douglas administration, Gibbs became the state’s commissioner of forests, parks and recreation and later worked as marketing director at the Vermont Ski Areas Association.

In 2010, Gibbs ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for secretary of state.

He has also represented various business interests in the state, including a stint in the early 2000s in the public affairs department of Fletcher Allen Health Care.

In 2012, Gibbs founded his own corporate communications firm, Jason Gibbs LLC. He will shutter that business this month.

“I have a few contracts that I am working on closing out or transitioning to other contractors,” Gibbs said. “That way I can be focused 110 percent on public service.”

Gibbs will assume his official duties when Scott is sworn in on Jan. 5. In the meantime, he is helping Hayward lead the transition team with a variety of other staff. Their three areas of focus will be developing Scott’s plans into specific legislative proposals, budget development, and other appointments and personnel.

Gibbs is a graduate of Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is a member of the Waterbury-Duxbury School Board, the Community High School of Vermont advisory board, and the Washington West Supervisory Union executive committee. An avid outdoorsman, Gibbs lives in Waterbury with his wife and their daughter.

Scott’s other senior staff appointments so far:

• Kendal Smith, a former lobbyist with the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, as Scott’s director of policy and legislative affairs.

Smith worked for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal from January 2011 through July 2013, according to her LinkedIn profile.

• Brittney Wilson, Scott’s campaign coordinator, was named secretary of civil and military affairs.

• Longtime Scott aide Rachel Feldman was appointed as senior director of boards, commissions and public service. Feldman’s work will include legislative outreach, constituent services and planning of trade missions and other events.

“Each of these individuals share my vision for a modern and efficient state government that makes the economy and affordability its top priorities,” Scott said. “They are focused and disciplined public servants who will work incredibly hard on behalf of the people of Vermont as we implement our pro-growth agenda and invest in the future of our state.”

Gibbs said Scott’s upcoming appointments will include veteran political figures as well as staffers with fresh ideas. While all the early appointments were Republicans, Gibbs said the administration will include members of other parties.

“I do expect that this will be a cabinet that is made up of people with a wide range of political views,” he said.