Michael Willden
| Michael Willden | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Role: | Former chief of staff |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | Southern Utah University |
| Prior Experience | |
| Brian Sandoval gubernatorial administration, 2014-2019 | |
Michael Willden is a public health official and political advisor in the state of Nevada. He was the chief of staff for Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) from 2014 to 2019.[1]
Career
After graduating from Southern Utah University in 1973, Willden spent his career working in Nevada government positions.[2] For 25 years, Willden worked in the state's welfare administration, beginning as a case worker and taking on a number of positions until becoming the state welfare administrator.[3]
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
In 2001, Willden was appointed the director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by then-Gov. Kenny Guinn (R). Govs. Jim Gibbons (R) and Sandoval reappointed him to that position when they were elected in 2007 and 2011, respectively.[4] While the head of DHHS, Willden oversaw the state's expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2013.[5] In July 2017, he told The Nevada Independent that the department's expansion of Medicaid aimed to use local and federal funding, saying, "We have looked at every opportunity we can to use not just state dollars but contributions from county governments, but from the university, property taxes, and we have converted all of those to be matchable and that helps us bring in federal dollars. That’s been a huge amount of money and those help finance Medicaid immensely."[6]
Brian Sandoval chief of staff
In June 2014, Sandoval announced that Willden would take over as chief of staff for Gerald Gardner, who left the position to join the private sector. Upon announcing Willden's new role, Sandoval said:[7]
| “ | Mike has been a trusted member of my Cabinet since day one and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in state government and budget management. Throughout his career at DHHS, Mike has proven himself to be a valuable leader and a strong asset to the state. I am very pleased he has agreed to join my office and continue serving the people of Nevada in this capacity.[8] | ” |
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2017, Ballotpedia identified Michael Willden 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):[9]
- 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."[9]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Michael Willden'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of Gov. Brian Sandoval, "Governor Staff," archived August 29, 2017
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Mike Willden," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Nevada Healthcare Forum, "Mike Willden," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Lincoln County Record, "Caliente native named as Sandoval’s Chief of Staff," June 23, 2014
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "High-stakes health-care debate hits Nevada’s Medicaid program," August 5, 2017
- ↑ The Nevada Independent, "A brief history of Medicaid in Nevada and the people who depend on it," July 9, 2017
- ↑ KTVN, "Governor Sandoval's Chief of Staff Leaving for Las Vegas Position," June 8, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
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