Governor Steve Sisolak attends a meeting with Nevada’s workforce leaders to discuss how the American Jobs Plan will effect Nevada at CSN’s Charleston Campus Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 | 9:47 a.m.
Two senior members of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s staff announced today they are leaving their positions after years in the office.
Chief of Staff Michelle White and Senior Advisor Scott Gilles announced their decisions in a news release this morning. White has worked with the governor since November 2018 and Gilles since January 2019.
“For close to three years I've had the privilege of witnessing the governor’s unparalleled commitment to leading Nevada through some of the most trying and unprecedented times in our state’s history — civil protests against systemic racism, the impacts of a climate crisis and a global pandemic and subsequent economic crisis that forced tough decisions aimed at protecting the lives and livelihood of all Nevadans,” White said in a statement. “I will forever be humbled that the governor trusted me to serve his office and our great state throughout this time.”
The resignations come after the state has started the transition back to normalcy following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, though cases of the virus have started to increase again. They also come as Sisolak, a Democrat, enters the campaign period for the 2022 gubernatorial election. Republicans see the governor’s office as a potential pickup opportunity.
Gilles will leave his position on July 16, while White will stay on as chief of staff during the summer to help with the transition. Neither have announced what they plan to do next.
Sisolak, in a statement, said he was “forever appreciative of the steadfast service and guidance” the two brought to his office.
“No one could have predicted all that we would have faced together since I took office, and their leadership and expertise during historically challenging times have undoubtedly made Nevada a better state,” Sisolak said in a statement.
