What exactly does a chief of staff do? Three chiefs of staff to governors offered their perspectives at an HKS student event this month as part of a National Governors Association visit to campus for a first-ever Executive Committee strategic retreat. The student event was hosted by the Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government and introduced by the center’s Director of Government Engagement, Amy Mahler.
On September 10, Dr. Brandon Tatum, CEO of the National Governors Association and former chief of staff to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt; Fagan Harris, former chief of staff to Maryland Governor Wes Moore; and Kate Cook, current chief of staff to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, discussed what it means to serve as a governor’s chief of staff at an event for HKS students. Both Tatum and Harris are visiting fellows at the Taubman Center.
A job with no description
When Tatum, who was both moderating and sharing his perspective, asked what the job entails, the panelists described a role that is both all-encompassing and difficult to define.
“I think in a nutshell, it’s whatever the governor needs, and what the administration needs to be successful,” Cook said.
That can mean anything from making sure a visitor has water to untangling a policy dispute, she elaborated. Cook compared the chief of staff’s role to that of a translator, turning a governor’s decisions into instructions that others can carry out. She also compared it to an air traffic controller, making sure that “all planes land properly” in a high-stakes environment.
Harris quoted Denis McDonough, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama: “The best chiefs understand that the job is defined by ‘staff’ and not ‘chief.’”
“We are not elected,” Harris said. “Our boss is elected.” He added that the chief’s role is to understand the governor’s priorities closely enough to carry them forward independently, without confusing delegated authority for personal power.
Power without the spotlight
The panel repeatedly returned to the idea that managing egos is one of the most important parts of being a chief of staff.
Cook said some of the most useful preparation for the job came from her experience waiting tables. Customer-facing work taught her to “manage up, manage down, and manage sideways,” while remaining patient with people who might be stressed, demanding, or simply having a bad day.
That same lesson directly applies to working inside a governor’s office. Cook told the student audience to remember that everyone who comes to government is bringing a problem with them. “Every single meeting is someone’s biggest problem or worst day,” Harris added.
Harris also emphasized how essential emotional steadiness is to being a chief of staff: “It is supremely important to self-regulate, whether that’s meditation, therapy, or just knowing your triggers.”
No fixed path
None of the three speakers said they had a perfectly planned path to becoming a chief of staff. Cook even cautioned students against designing their careers too rigidly.
“I actually think it’s a mistake to try to map out how to get to a place,” she said. Instead, she advised them to pay attention to work that is intellectually engaging and meaningful. “People do their best work when they’re enjoying what they’re doing,” she said.
“Don’t let party politics get in the way of the humanity and dignity that we all deserve.”
Cook’s path to chief of staff included Harvard Law School, a clerkship, the Boston Law Department, and Governor Deval Patrick’s legal office. She later became Governor Healey’s first assistant attorney general before becoming her chief of staff.
Harris’ interest in government grew out of frustration when doing community organizing and grassroots work.
“After a while, you kind of realize, like, who’s running the government?” Harris said. “What systems failed to create these conditions that we’re out here doing the hustle to fix?”
After Governor Wes Moore won, he asked Harris to become his chief of staff. Harris had no experience running a state government and faced questions about whether he was qualified for the job.
The governor said he was looking for a chief of staff who could carry out his priorities in his absence, someone who would “do the thing that I would have done.”
How decisions are made
Part of the role involves judgment. The panelists agreed that the chief of staff must constantly distinguish between decisions that require the governor’s personal attention and those that can be handled by other staff.
But giving staff room to act requires the governor’s continued confidence and trust. “As closely mind-melded as we are, we are not clones,” Harris said.
Harris explained he is also a strong advocate for deliberation. “I would rather hear all the voices, even if we didn’t always agree, than not,” he said.
Cook agreed. “I spend a lot of time on the horn and at meetings, hearing folks out,” she said. “What’s their view on this? What are the pros? What are the cons? And also explaining the other side to them.”
Staying human in a polarized moment
Harris explained that political relationships can outlast individual disagreements.
“There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics,” he said. “There is only permanent interest.”
Tatum touched on this principle from another angle. Despite their disagreements on policy and party—Tatum is a Republican while the other two panelists are Democrats—he said he considers Harris a close friend, and Cook is someone he would call during a crisis.
“They may work for governors from different parties, but they are also parents, colleagues, and people trying to do difficult work well,” Tatum said. “Don’t let party politics get in the way of the humanity and dignity that we all deserve,” Tatum said.
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Photographs courtesy of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government and Talia Pantaleo.
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