Joanna Dornfeld
| Joanna Dornfeld | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Role: | Former chief of staff |
| Location: | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Affiliation: | Democrat |
| Education: | •University of Minnesota-Twin Cities •University of Minnesota-Duluth |
| Prior Experience | |
| •Mark Dayton gubernatorial administration, 2017-2019 | |
Joanna Dornfeld is a political advisor based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She served as chief of staff to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) from 2017 to 2019.[1][2]
Career
Education and early career
Dornfeld began her career in politics and government affairs as a field manager for the Minnesota Housing Project in 2004. She began working as a committee advisor in the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2007 and transitioned to the role of executive assistant to the minority caucus in 2011. She left the state House in 2012 to work as a public policy manager for the Minnesota High Tech Association. In 2013, she returned to state government as a tax research specialist for the Minnesota Department of Revenue.[2]
Dornfeld joined the office of Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) as a senior policy advisor in October 2013. She was named assistant chief of staff in December 2014.[2]
Mark Dayton chief of staff
In November 2017, Dayton announced that Dornfeld would succeed Jaime Tincher as his chief of staff. Tincher left the administration to serve as the deputy mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. Dornfeld assumed the chief of staff role in December 2017.[1][2]
"Joanna Dornfeld will be a terrific Chief of Staff," said Governor Dayton in a press release. "She is brilliant, dedicated, and incredibly hard-working. Joanna has earned the trust and respect of our Cabinet and staff, legislators, and community leaders across Minnesota. I have complete confidence in her."[1]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2017, Ballotpedia identified Joanna Dornfeld as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[3]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[3]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Office of Governor Mark Dayton, "Governor Dayton Appoints Joanna Dornfeld to Serve as Chief of Staff," November 20, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 LinkedIn, "Joanna Dornfeld," accessed January 5, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
| |||||||
