Roy Cooper names his administration’s first hires

Two days after Gov. Pat McCrory conceded defeat, Governor-elect Roy Cooper named three of his administration’s first hires. Two of them are already leading his transition team.

Kristi Jones will be Cooper’s chief of staff, hardly a surprise pick because Jones has been his chief of staff at the attorney general’s office. A news release from the transition team says Jones will be the first African-American woman to serve in the role.

Brad Adcock will serve as Cooper’s legislative director, overseeing what’s likely to be a contentious relationship with the Republican-led House and Senate. He has spent three decades as a lobbyist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and he also served on the UNC Board of Governors.

Ken Eudy will be Cooper’s senior advisor. He’s a former political reporter who founded the public relations and marketing agency Capstrat.

Eudy and Jones were already serving as the leaders of the Cooper transition team. With the election results unsettled, the transition staff had been scattered among offices and homes around Raleigh, but the McCrory administration provided new transition office space on Wednesday. Eudy says staff will move into the offices in the next few days.

“We have a short transition period and we need a team who can quickly navigate the learning curve,” Cooper said in a news release. “Kristi Jones, Ken Eudy and Brad Adcock share my vision for making North Carolina once again among the most admired states.”

Cooper plans to name cabinet secretaries and other hires “soon,” according to the news release. He’ll take office on Jan. 1, with inauguration set for Jan. 7.

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Roy Cooper names his administration’s first hires."