Mayor-Elect Charlie Hales Hires Former Lawmaker Gail Shibley As Chief of Staff

This just in from the Office of Mayor-Elect Charlie Hales:

Mayor-Elect Charlie Hales announced the appointment of Gail Shibley as his Chief of Staff, effective December 17, 2012.

Gail will be joining Charlie after serving as Public Health Administrator for the Oregon Health Authority for the last nine years. Gail has been a leader in setting Oregon's strategic direction to protect health from environmental risk.  She has been responsible for managing over 160 staff and overseeing complex inter-governmental budgets.

"I am very pleased that Gail has accepted my offer. Gail comes to us with an extensive political and governmental background.  She has the experience and the personality to serve well as the leader of my team. I know that her many skills and progressive values will be a great asset to my administration and the City of Portland," said Charlie Hales on Monday morning.  "Among the many issues to be addressed over the next four years, I look forward to having Gail's help as we develop a budget that will allow us to deliver more basic services to every neighborhood, to prepare for the Legislative Session where we will fight for more funding for our public schools, and to work closely with Chief Reese and the Police Bureau to improve our commitment to community policing."

Prior to Gail's tenure with the Oregon Health Authority, Gail served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the US Department of Labor and as Director of External Communications of the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, DC.

Gail also served three terms as an Oregon State Representative where she was a leader in successfully promoting progressive urban, social and environmental policies. Gail was employed by the Portland Bureau of Transportation during this time.

"This opportunity is quite an honor. I share Charlie's priorities and passion and I'm ready and excited to help Charlie hire a quality team and get to work with the rest of the Council to provide efficient and effective services for all the people of Portland," said Shibley. 

Gail is native Oregonian. She grew up in Albany, Oregon and received her Bachelors of Arts from University of Oregon and her JD from Lewis & Clark Law School.