Gov. Kate Brown’s top staffer will join the transition team supporting the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, it was announced Thursday.
Nik Blosser, Brown’s longtime chief of staff, will depart to serve as the state lead in the intergovernmental affairs office of Biden’s transition, Brown said. Her deputy chief of staff, Gina Zejdlik, will replace Blosser as Brown’s new senior staff member.
“Nik has been on the ground and focused on the pandemic response from the start of this crisis, giving him a unique understanding of the needs of Americans suffering from COVID-19 and the needs of the communities they live in,” Brown said in a statement.
Brown, a Democrat, said she was “heartened” that Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris selected Blosser for an important role on their transition team.
“He has my full support, and I am confident he will help President-elect Biden and his team support states in their approach to this crisis and the long recovery that will follow,” said Brown.
Blosser started as the governor’s chief of staff in February 2017 and is one of the longest to serve in that role for any governor in the country.
His tabbed replacement, Zejdlik, has served as Brown’s deputy chief of staff since 2017, and as a senior adviser prior to that. Zejdlik, an attorney, served as interim elections director and Brown’s chief of staff while she was secretary of state, and as her deputy legislative counsel for six years prior.
“Gina has been by my side for years, and with us every step of the way since the start of the Covid-19 crisis,” said Brown. “Her depth of experience will be invaluable as we continue to respond to this pandemic, address long-term wildfire recovery for Oregon and fight for racial justice.”
Wikimedia Commons photo by Gage Skidmore is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
