Jason Gibbs will serve as chief of staff when governor-elect Phil Scott takes office in January. Credit: Terri Hallenbeck
Governor-elect Phil Scott made his first administrative appointments Wednesday, naming some members of his campaign staff to jobs with the governor’s office.

Jason Gibbs, who volunteered as a senior adviser to Scott’s campaign, will be his chief of staff when Scott takes office in January. Gibbs, 40, of Waterbury, served as communications director for former Republican governor Jim Douglas before serving as commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Gibbs ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2010 and most recently has been a communications and project management consultant.

Brittney Wilson, who was Scott’s campaign coordinator, will serve as his secretary of civil and military affairs. Wilson, 30, of Groton, formerly worked in the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the state Auditor’s Office and the state Department of Libraries. Her new position is a constitutionally established post that traditionally serves as a policy adviser to the governor.

Rachel Feldman, who serves as chief of staff for Scott in the lieutenant governor’s office, will be his senior director of boards, commissions and public service. Feldman, 33, of Montpelier, is a former newspaper and television reporter.

Kendal Smith, most recently a lobbyist for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, was appointed as Scott’s director of policy development and legislative affairs. Smith, 29, of Barre, worked on Republican candidate Brian Dubie’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign and worked in Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.

Scott has yet to name a secretary of administration, a key appointment for a position that oversees management of the state budget and state government.

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Terri Hallenbeck was a Seven Days staff writer covering politics, the Legislature and state issues from 2014 to 2017.

2 replies on “Phil Scott Names Several Staffers to Posts in New Administration”

  1. Phil Scott, don’t forget to also point people who have a clue. Experience that qualifies them for the appointment might also be nice. It’s cool you want to be surrounded by your friends, except, as a Vermont tax payer, actually, it’s not cool at all.

  2. I note that you don’t mention Gibbs’s connection with Big PHARMA. That’s something a lot of people in Vermont who are struggling with paying for required medication may find a useful nugget of information.

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