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Gov.-elect Tina Kotek today announced the name of her top aide and the members of her transition team.
Andrea Cooper, currently deputy chief of staff to Gov. Kate Brown, will be Kotek’s chief of staff. Prior to joining Brown’s office in 2020, Cooper served as political director for Service Employees International Union, the state’s largest public employees union. Before that, Cooper held a number of legislative positions, including running Future PAC, the House Democrats’ campaign arm.
“Andrea Cooper is a skilled manager and a strategic, collaborative leader. She is ready to build a team of problem-solvers who will always put the needs of the people of Oregon first,” Kotek said in a statement.
Kotek also named her transition team: Annaliese Dolph, a lawyer and former Kotek aide, is the health care lead; Abby Tibbs, a senior Oregon Health & Science University official who once worked for Brown, is helping prepare Kotek’s first budget; state Rep. Karin Power (D-Milwaukie), who is leaving the Legislature and currently running Business for a Better Oregon, is the policy lead; and Taylor Smiley Wolfe, who previously worked for Kotek and Home Forward is the housing lead.
Dolph and Smiley Wolfe are slated to remain on Kotek’s staff after the transition.
“This team works hard, leads with integrity, and knows how to deliver results,” Kotek said. “In the weeks leading up to inauguration, our focus will be on getting ready to address issues of shared concern across our state: homelessness, mental health and addiction, and successful schools.”