Governor-elect Byron Donalds and Lieutenant Governor-elect Bryan Avila announced eight additional members of their gubernatorial transition team Friday, expanding the staff responsible for preparing their incoming administration to take office in January.
The new appointments include Jeff Woodburn as chief of staff to the transition, Ashley Ross as deputy executive director, Shelby Mitchell as director of operations and Jesse Purdon as senior advisor and execution director.
Gates McGavick will serve as communications director and spokesman, Dan Russell as general counsel, Tim Cerio as ethics counsel and Kevin Hoffman as director of appointments.
“The work of transition is well underway and Bryan and I are proud to add key staff to this crucial effort,” said Governor-Elect Byron Donalds. “We will deliver on our agenda to make Florida more affordable, invest in Florida’s young people, and ensure that the Sunshine State remains the national standard in common-sense conservative governance.”
The appointments follow Monday’s announcement naming Manny Kadre as transition chairman, Ryan Smith as executive director, Tarren Bragdon as policy chair and Teresa Ressel as senior advisor.
Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly in last week’s gubernatorial election by approximately 88,600 votes, becoming Florida’s first Black governor-elect.
He will succeed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose second term concludes in January after eight years in office.
