By Nicole Morell, Director of Communications
Kristi Jones served as the Chief of Staff to former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper from 2017 to 2024. She joined the Taubman Center as a Visiting Fellow in January 2025, culminating her fellowship in December 2025. Read about Kristi’s reflections on her fellowship and serving as chief of staff, and her advice for HKS students and alumni below.
What interested you in becoming a Visiting Fellow with the Taubman Center?
When I was chief of staff, I had the opportunity to attend the Governors’ Chiefs of Staff Convening hosted by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Taubman Center. It was a great opportunity to learn from my peers and from Harvard. When I was later approached with the opportunity to give back in the same way, I was overjoyed and excited to become a visiting fellow.
What topics at the state and local level are you most interested in, either in your time as chief of staff or today?
We covered so many areas in my time as chief of staff. One of the things we focused on and had good success with was expanding Medicaid, so more North Carolinians had access to it. Access to healthcare really means a lot to me. I come from a family that has a history of health issues, and I understand the value healthcare offers to families.
We also worked hard to make sure the government looks like the people it serves. That representation was important to me, as was valuing employees. Those were my big issues when I was chief of staff, and they are still very important to me today.
What motivated you to move into the chief of staff role, first starting with then-Attorney General Roy Cooper, who would go on to become Governor Cooper and now Senate-candidate Cooper?
I first worked with Roy Cooper when he was Attorney General, serving as his deputy chief of staff. I really enjoyed that work. I got to know everything, and I had my hands in everything. I also enjoyed working alongside the chief of staff, who later decided she no longer wanted to serve in that role. When then-Attorney General Cooper came in to talk to me about the newly opened chief of staff position, I thought he was seeking my opinion about who we should hire. Instead, he offered me the job. I of course said yes, but wondered if I was ready for the role. In the end, I served 12 years as the chief of staff to AG Cooper, and then another 7+ years as chief of staff to Governor Cooper. That’s nearly 20 years in chief of staff roles. I really liked the person that I served, and I think that was critical to the longevity of my career. I also liked the work of the chief of staff, which is a lot of managing, directing, and guiding.
Are there skills or experiences that would benefit someone considering a chief of staff role or something similar?
Some things I would say are helpful are implementation skills, follow-through, and multitasking. For example, in any role where you serve as chief of staff, there's a plan of action that you want to accomplish, and then there are the things that will happen to you. We used to call them “black arrows” and “red arrows.” The black arrows are the goals that you and the elected official set. These are the things you want to do, and you try to get them done. On the other side, red arrows are the things that you didn't necessarily plan for, but you must solve for. A person who can manage both the red arrows and black arrows and stay calm probably has what it takes to be a good chief of staff.
What parts of the job of chief of staff might surprise people?
There are many small things you end up doing as chief of staff that might surprise people. For example, when we are on site—maybe at our emergency operations center—and the floor needs vacuuming, I would vacuum it. I share this example to give an idea of the scope of services. If we had a big mailing to go out and we didn't have enough people to stuff envelopes, I'd stuff envelopes. It’s doing whatever it takes to achieve the goals. People think the chief of staff job is a glamorous job where you get to travel with the governor, and you're right there sitting with them. My experience was the exact opposite; I had to dig in and do whatever it took to accomplish the mission. Those small, mundane tasks were just as critical.
People think the chief of staff job is a glamorous job where you get to travel with the governor, and you're right there sitting with them. My experience was the exact opposite; I had to dig in and do whatever it took to accomplish the mission.
What were your favorite parts of the role?
My favorite parts are twofold. The macro example is seeing the results of your collective work—like the Medicaid expansion. We could see the impact of that on so many people. But at the micro level, you also get to see the impact you have on one person, like the lady who came into the governor’s office one day after she couldn’t get someone on the phone following a natural disaster. She took a chance and drove to the governor’s office, and I was able to talk to her and use my position to connect her directly with the person who could help. The best part of the job was helping large numbers of people, as well as helping individuals in need. It was both ends of the spectrum.
What are some of the most challenging parts of the role?
In this role, you often deal with heavy situations. During the pandemic, people's health and safety was on the line and being able to stay focused, do the right thing, and keep moving forward was very challenging because, just like everybody else, you just want to go and retreat. But as chief of staff, you don't have that ability. The challenge is to keep moving forward some days when you don't feel like it. You have to be the hope that others need. You have to be the cheerleader that other people need. You have to fill the voids of things that are missing on the hardest days, and that was challenging and yet rewarding at the same time.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
First is Medicaid expansion, which we covered earlier. Second, North Carolina was ranked the number one state to do business by CNBC for two years in a row. That's a high standard. When Governor Cooper took office, the state was in a bad place—companies had decided they weren't going to come to North Carolina. To watch that process evolve, to get to be the number one state to do business two years in a row, was pretty awesome. And more than just the title, that meant we were bringing really good jobs to the state. The governor had a goal for people in North Carolina: better access to education, better health, and more money in their pockets so they could live a life of purpose and abundance. We got to see all those things happen.
How does the chief of staff role support these kinds of accomplishments?
I can describe the chief of staff’s role like that of an air traffic controller—it’s basically keeping everything going and keeping everyone coordinated. For example, the governor will make a statement about what they want to get done in their term, and to make that happen, countless actions need to be implemented. It’s the chief of staff’s job to do all those things and to track progress and work through the obstacles. A chief of staff sees the vision and turns it into action and execution all the way to the end.
What advice would you give to current Harvard Kennedy School students interested in state and local government and considering which path to take?
Government is an excellent place to begin your career. There is nothing better than knowing how government operates. You can use it to better yourself. You can share this knowledge with your family. You can share this knowledge with friends and your community. There is so much government knowledge and theories that students learn at the Kennedy School. Why not take all that experience and education and put it into communities? I believe we should have the best and the brightest working for our government. Everybody benefits from government. Be part of the change you want to see.
What did you enjoy most in your time as a fellow?
My experience as a Taubman Center fellow has just been wonderful. I wanted to do this to give back, but I didn't know it would be so valuable to me personally. I fell in love with Harvard, and it touched me in so many ways. Growing up, I never considered Harvard as an opportunity for me. I just didn't have that lens. To find myself there as a fellow was just overwhelming and exciting. I didn’t know what to expect. It’s easy to think of Harvard as this very formal, very stiff ivory tower presence. I found everything different at the Kennedy School and the Taubman Center, from the students to the staff, who were just wonderful, kind, and considerate.
This past year, I wondered if I had been a student, would I still want to go into state and local government with everything being so challenged? But seeing these students so hopeful, so energetic, so brilliant, and so excited to go in and help when we need them the most was amazing. 2025 was a challenging year, but I know with these Kennedy School students leading the way, the future is in good hands
