Smiley new chief of staff for Raimondo

BRETT SMILEY, the city of Providence's chief operating officer, will be Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's new chief of staff. / COURTESY LINKEDIN
BRETT SMILEY, the city of Providence's chief operating officer, will be Gov. Gina M. Raimondo's new chief of staff. / COURTESY LINKEDIN

PROVIDENCE – Brett Smiley will be Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s next chief of staff.
Smiley, currently the city of Providence’s chief operating officer, a job he has held since January 2015, will start the new position after Labor Day, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

David Cruise will continue to serve as acting chief of staff through the summer, then will transition to the position of the governor’s senior adviser.
Raimondo said she is “thrilled” to have Smiley join her team.

“He comes to us with a breadth of financial and managerial experience, and he truly shares my focus of making Rhode Island a place of opportunity for everyone. I know he will hit the ground running and lead our team with integrity and energy,” Raimondo said in a statement.

As the city’s chief operating officer, Smiley was the primary author of two city budgets, developed ways to deal with structural deficits, and oversaw an increase in new construction development in the city. He also has has run multiple campaigns and founded a public affairs consulting group that provided services across the country.
Smiley said he is excited to work with Raimondo and thankful for the opportunity.
“The governor and her team have done incredible work over the past two years to position our state for growth and get Rhode Island back in the game, but I know we have a lot of work ahead to build on this progress. I’m forever grateful to Mayor Elorza and the great, dedicated team at the city of Providence for their support. I’m lucky to have been part of that team and proud of all we have done together – and know that my experience in City Hall has prepared me for this next chapter,” Smiley said.
Smiley has an MBA and a bachelor of science degree in finance from DePaul University in Chicago.
It is unknown what Smiley will be paid in the new position; a spokeswoman for Raimondo did not immediately respond to an email.

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