Katie Hobbs is taking her top aides to the Governor’s Office
Secretary of State and Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs is taking several of the top leaders from the Secretary of State's Office with her to the governor's office, her campaign announced Friday.
Murphy Hebert, currently the communications director at the Secretary of State's Office, will follow Hobbs to the governor's office to serve as her top spokeswoman.
Hebert previously worked at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office and for the Arizona House of Representatives.
Sarah Brown, who is the chief financial officer and human resources director for the Secretary of State's Office, is set to be the director of the governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting. Brown also previously worked in the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, and in corporate finance prior to that.
Ariel Morin is slated to move from human resources director for the Secretary of State's Office to director of diversity, equity and inclusion in the governor's office. Morin has worked for various state agencies for more than 11 years, including the Department of Economic Security, the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control and the Department of Administration.
Will Gaona, who served as legislative affairs director for the secretary of state's office, is set to be the director of public affairs for the governor's office. Gaona was previously an aides on the Phoenix City Council and worked for various nonprofits, including Protect Democracy, the ACLU of Arizona, and the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Hobbs announced in November that her chief of staff will be Allie Bones, who is currently the assistant secretary of state. Bones and Hobbs met in 2001 when they were both working as advocates for survivors of domestic violence.
Bones was the CEO of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence for 11 years and prior to that was the state homeless coordinator and program manager for domestic violence, homeless, and hunger programs for the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Coming from outside of the Secretary of State's Office is Tracy Lopes, who will be Hobbs' director of policy in the governor's office. Lopes is currently the chief of staff for the Arizona State Democratic Caucus. A lawyer who spent many years as an assistant district attorney, she was the first Black woman to serve as Democratic chief of staff in the state House of Representatives. She also served as a legal intern for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, has worked as a law professor, an administrative law judge and with the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Another newcomer to the Hobbs team who has a lengthy background in government is Ben Henderson, who will be her director of operations.
Henderson "is a public servant and technocrat who has spent his career helping the government use data, technology, and continuous improvement to be a force for good," the Hobbs transition team said in a news release.
Henderson served as director of operations and deputy budget director for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and was deputy chief operating officer for Gov. Doug Ducey.
He also worked in economic development for the City of Phoenix and as the chief operating officer for the Department of Education under outgoing Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman.
This report was first published by the Arizona Mirror.