The Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network (Chief’s Network) is a forum for all Governors’ chiefs – current and former – to come together to exchange ideas, educational information, and best practices to help promote more effective and efficient management of state government operations to better serve state residents. The Chiefs’ Network is open to all who have held the title Governor’s Chief of Staff, past and present. Because once a chief, always a chief.
GCoSN TEAM
Jayne Millerick
President, Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network
Jayne Millerick is the inaugural President of the Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network. Prior to joining DCI Group, Jayne served as Chief of Staff to New Hampshire Governor Christopher T. Sununu from 2017 to 2025 – the longest serving Chief of Staff in state history. Jayne was elected Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee from 2003 – 2005. She has served as public spokesperson and media advisor for corporations, trade associations, elected officials, candidates, and political parties for many years. She specializes in crisis management and building effective state-based public affairs campaigns.
Jayne served on the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Board of Directors, a non-profit, non-partisan, independent think tank focused on state and local public policy issues that affect the quality of life for New Hampshire’s citizens. She was also a member of the Concord Hospital Trust Board of Directors, supporting the hospital’s mission of meeting the health needs of individuals within the communities it serves.
Mark Cooper
Board Member, Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network
Prior to becoming a member of 5 Score Partners, Mark served as the Chief of Staff for Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards for seven years beginning in February of 2017 where he supported the Governor and help lead the State during historic emergency responses to the COVID-19 virus and five major hurricanes and everything in between.
Before joining the Edwards’ administration, Mark was Senior Director of Global Emergency Management at Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas for almost six years where he led global emergency preparedness, response, and recovery operations as well as business continuity and emergency support for communities during a crisis. He also served on the cabinet of Governor Bobby Jindal as the Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Homeland Security Advisor for the State of Louisiana from 2008-2011.
Mark also was a founding member, speaker, and served on the United Nations ARISE Executive Board for global resiliency and completed two terms on the FEMA National Advisory Council to the Administrator. He is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School/Center for Homeland Security and Defense in Monterey, California. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a master’s degree in Public Administration, both from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Prior to his time at GOHSEP, Cooper spent almost 20 years with the County of Los Angeles, CA. While with Walmart, he led global emergency management and became a leader in public/private partnerships including speaking and teaching opportunities at Harvard University, the U.S. Naval Post Graduate Program in Monterey, CA, and the National Governors Association. He also led the Company’s responses to Hurricane Sandy and well as other major crises and events during his tenure.
Kristi Jones
Board Member, Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network
Kristi Jones is the Vice President for Public Affairs and Sustainability for NiSource. She served as Chief of Staff to Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina for seven and a half years where she led the team’s efforts to turn Governor Cooper’s vision into accomplishments. Kristi played a pivotal role in this administration which spearheaded initiatives to extend healthcare coverage to more than 600,000 newly eligible North Carolinians through NC Medicaid, propelled North Carolina to the top of CNBC’s business rankings in 2022 and 2023, and led the charge towards a sustainable, clean energy future.
Prior to this, Kristi served as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Roy Cooper of North Carolina, where she played a key role in shaping policies and legal strategies, tackling crime, and safeguarding consumer rights. Her tenure as Executive Director of the North Carolina Initiative on Race under Governor Jim Hunt further showcased her ability to drive economic prosperity and improve race relations through strategic partnerships with business and community leaders.
She grew up in Wilson County and leads with values her family and community instilled in her. She is very proud she chose to attend the best Historically Black College and University – North Carolina Central University. It has proven to be the foundation she needed. She then graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. Both esteemed North Carolina public universities prepared her professionally. Kriti’s reputation as a dedicated and effective public servant precedes her having represented the Governor Attorney General, and State of North Carolina on numerous influential platforms. Kristi is extremely proud to serve as a visiting fellow at Taubman Center for State Local Government at Harvard Kennedy School.
Alison R. Williams
Board Member, Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network
Alison has spent her career navigating government at the highest levels. After more than twenty years in public service and electoral politics, her reputational risk skills are second to none. A self-proclaimed policy wonk, she knows good policy when she sees it, how to sustain it, and how to change it when necessary.
From 2016-2023, she served as Chief of Staff to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, supporting his transformational vision for the State. Before returning to Arkansas, Williams worked in the Washington, D.C., area for more than a decade in the public and private sectors.
Alison opens doors with ease. She loves challenges that require non-traditional relationships to make a real difference, and she’s not afraid to call on her more than two decades of contacts in state and federal government to make policy personal.
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The Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Network (Chief’s Network)
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