Herndon High Alum Appointed as McAuliffe's Chief of Staff

On Monday, Governor-Elect Terry McAuliffe announced several major appointments to his administration—and one of his top dogs hails from none other than Herndon High School.

McAuliffe's Chief of Staff will be Paul Reagan, who is a member of Herndon High's class of 1978, the Washington Post reports.

In addition, McAuliffe named Suzette Denslow as Deputy Chief of Staff; Secretary Ric Brown, who will stay on through at least the passage of the upcoming budget as Secretary of Finance; and Levar Stoney as Secretary of the Commonwealth.

All three have decades of experience in Virginia politics.

Former Herndon Hornet Reagan previously served as the chief of staff to U.S. Senator Jim Webb and chief of staff to U.S. Congressman James P. Moran. Before joining Moran’s office, he served as communications director for U.S. Representatives L.F. Payne, Rick Boucher and Owen Pickett. Reagan also served as counsel to the House Science Subcommittee from 1993 to 1995 under its chairman, Representative Rick Boucher. At the state level, Reagan served as communications director for Governor Mark Warner from 2001 to 2005 where he helped to shape the Governor's successful message on budget, education and government reform issues, McAuliffe's office said. Regan received his Bachelor’s Degree from the College of William and Mary and his law degree from George Mason University.

Suzette Denslow has been the Chief of Staff to Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones since he took office in 2009. Prior to that, she served as Legislative Director for Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. In addition, she served as the Deputy Secretary of Education for Governor L. Douglas Wilder and held the role of Deputy Director of the Virginia Municipal League and the Director of the Tennessee Municipal League. She received her Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Virginia and her undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Secretary Ric Brown has served as the Secretary of Finance since August 2008, when he was appointed by Governor Tim Kaine. Brown was reappointed by Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010. Brown entered state service in 1971 as an Economist with the Division of State Planning and Community Affairs, where he served as staff to numerous legislative and executive study commissions including: the Revenue Resources and Economic Study Commission, the National and Dulles Airports Acquisition Study Commission, and Governor Holton’s Task Force on Financing the Standards of Quality in Public Education. In 1976, Mr. Brown moved to the newly created Department of Planning and Budget, and later served as Director of the Department of Planning and Budget under Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. He received a B.A. Degree in Economics from the College of William and Mary and a Masters of Commerce Degree from the University of Richmond.

As budget is likely to be a point of contention between the Democratic governor's office and the Republican-lead state legislature, many say Brown's appointment to this top position will be key for McAuliffe's administration.

Levar Stoney served as McAuliffe’s Deputy Campaign Manager during his 2013 gubernatorial campaign. Prior to that, Stoney served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia from 2006-2009, and as the Political Director of gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds’ 2009 campaign. Stoney is a graduate of James Madison University.

McAuliffe announced these appointments at a press conference in Richmond on Monday.

"These four leaders represent decades of serving Virginia with passion, professionalism and pragmatism, and I am pleased that they will serve in my administration," said Governor-Elect McAuliffe. "Paul, Suzette, Ric, and Levar are the foundation of an administration that I am building for one purpose: to find common ground with leaders from both parties to create jobs, navigate the uncertainty that we face over the coming years, and maximize the opportunities we have to diversify and strengthen Virginia’s economy."

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