Mayor Rybak announces new chief of staff
Tina Smith taking leave of absence, Jeremy Hanson Willis to lead Mayor’s Office
November 17, 2009 (MINNEAPOLIS) – Mayor R.T. Rybak today announced that Jeremy Hanson Willis will become his chief of staff, effective November 30. Current chief of staff Tina Smith is taking a leave of absence from the City to lead Mayor Rybak’s campaign for governor.
Hanson Willis has served as Mayor Rybak’s communications director since June 2005. Previously, Hanson Willis was a communications consultant at the public relations firm Tunheim Partners, following nearly ten years in nonprofit issue advocacy, including with the Minnesota Smoke-Free Coalition and the Minnesota AIDS Project. A native of Ada, Minnesota, Hanson Willis is a graduate of Macalester College and lives in the Windom Park neighborhood of northeast Minneapolis.
"Having worked with him, I know firsthand that Jeremy is a seasoned leader with solid judgment and forward thinking," Mayor Rybak said. "With his assistance and the rest of the leadership team we have in place, I am confident that we will continue making progress on our aggressive agenda to keep Minneapolis moving forward. We have a lot of work to do and the drive to do it."
Mayor Rybak also announced that he is naming John Stiles to be his new communications director to coordinate media relations for his office while Hanson Willis serves as chief of staff. Stiles most recently served as campaign manager for Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s successful re-election campaign, and prior to that served as Communications Director for the Minnesota DFL Party and as principal aide to Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter.
Mayor Rybak also announced that he is naming long-time aide Peter Wagenius as his Policy Director and executive assistant Janna Hottinger as his Administrative Director.
Published Nov. 17, 2009