OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who was re-elected to a third term this week, has announced a new chief of staff.
Jamila Thomas will start in the position on Nov. 16. She will replace David Postman, who has served in the position since December 2015, the longest tenure held by a chief of staff since the 1970s.
Thomas is currently chief of staff to Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and previously held the same title with former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp.
“Jamila brings a deep understanding of state government,” Inslee said in a news release issued Thursday. “She is a strategic thinker with extensive policy experience, the ability to build coalitions and a comprehensive understanding of budget and personnel management.”
Postman, who has been part of the Inslee administration since 2013 when he joined as executive director of communications, had planned to leave the post earlier this year but agreed to stay on when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
