Jodi Uecker

Jodi Uecker
Basic facts
Location:	Bismarck, N.D.
Affiliation:	Republican
Education:	North Dakota State University
Prior Experience
Chief operating officer, Doug Burgum gubernatorial administration, 2016-2019

Jodi Uecker is a former Republican political advisor in North Dakota. From December 2016 to June 2019, she was the chief operating officer, a position comparable to chief of staff, in the administration of Gov. Doug Burgum (R). Uecker was announced as the COO, a position created by Burgum, shortly after Burgum was elected governor of North Dakota in 2016. She retired from full-time employment on June 30, 2019.

Career

Early career

Beginning in 1984, Uecker was an executive at Great Plains Software, the technology company started by Burgum. When Great Plains was sold to Microsoft in 2001, Uecker became that company's corporate vice president until 2004. In 2000, Uekcer was an advisor to the transition team for Gov. John Hoeven (R-N.D.).

According to Schulz Consulting, Uecker was seen as the second most powerful person at Great Plains and one of the top executives a Microsoft during her time there. The consulting group wrote, "Jodi was a key player in the acquisition of Navision by Microsoft and even moved her family overseas for a period of time to oversee the deal."

Sage Business Solutions

After taking time off to focus on nonprofit work, Uecker became interim president of Sage Business Solutions in 2009. She left in 2010 and returned to Sage in 2015 as the interim president of Sage North America.

Doug Burgum chief operating officer

In December 2016, Burgum announced that Uecker, who chaired his transition team, would serve as the chief operating officer in his administration. The role of COO was created by Burgum. In the press release announcing Uecker's appointment, Burgum's office described the role as "working closely with the governor and his appointed agency heads on strategic and cross-cutting initiatives designed to improve processes, spur innovation and reinvent the delivery of services to realign government for the 21st century." The COO position is comparable to that of a chief of staff in other gubernatorial administrations. Uecker left the administration when she retired from full-time employment in June 2019.

Chief of staff

See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff

In 2017, Ballotpedia identified Jodi Uecker 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):

• 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."

See also

• Doug Burgum

External links

• Jodi Uecker on LinkedIn