Zakiya Smith Ellis
Zakiya Smith Ellis is a Democratic political advisor in the state of New Jersey. Smith Ellis served in the gubernatorial administration of Phil Murphy (D) as chief of staff from July 2020 to July 2022. She was appointed when George Helmy resigned to work full-time on the governor’s re-election campaign.[1][2]
Education
Smith Ellis received a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. Smith Ellis received her master's degree from Harvard University in education policy and management. She studied political science and secondary education at Vanderbilt University, where she earned her bachelor's of science degree.[2]
Career
Before her appointment as chief of staff, Smith Ellis worked as the chief policy advisor for Governor Phil Murphy (D). Prior to working as an advisor, Smith Ellis worked as the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education and at the Lumina Foundation, a nonprofit focused on higher education.[3]
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Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2021, Ballotpedia identified Zakiya Smith Ellis 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 each administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[4]
- 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."[4]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ "New Jersey Globe," "Helmy joining Murphy campaign for final stretch, resigning as chief of staff", accessed October 29, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "LinkedIn", "Zakiya Smith Ellis", accessed Febru, 2021 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "linkedin" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ "Insider New Jersey", "Governor Murphy Announces Zakiya Smith Ellis as Chief Policy Advisor", accessed October 29, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
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