Phoenix, Arizona: Hobbs Chief of Staff Chad Campbell Steps Down, Kori Lorick to Take Over

PHOENIX, Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs is changing the top aide in her office. Her chief of staff, Chad Campbell, will step down at the end of November, and Kori Lorick, the governor's co-chief legal officer, will move into the job, Hobbs' office said on Thursday.

Hobbs' spokesperson Christian Slater confirmed the change on November 12. The announcement comes just over a week after Hobbs won a second term in the November election, and Lorick will take over as soon as Campbell leaves, according to the governor's office.

Hobbs praised both aides in a statement. She called Campbell a partner throughout her first term and said she was "deeply grateful for his steady leadership and dedication to public service." Of Lorick, Hobbs said she "knows exactly how to navigate complex challenges and deliver real results" and has "the grit and the vision to lead this team."

The aide who steadied the office

Campbell joined the administration in June 2023, during a first year for Hobbs that included a turbulent legislative session and early staff turnover. Her first chief of staff resigned abruptly, and Campbell, who took over that June, was widely seen as bringing stability to the office in the three years that followed.

He came to the job with ties to Hobbs that predate the governor's office. Both are former Democratic state lawmakers who represented the same central Phoenix district at the Capitol for several years. Before joining the administration, Campbell worked as a lobbyist with Lumen Strategies in Phoenix and helped run major ballot campaigns, including the 2020 measure that legalized recreational marijuana for adults in Arizona.

Campbell said in a statement that working for Hobbs and for Arizona "has been the absolute honor of my career." He did not say why he is leaving or where he is going next, telling reporters to "stay tuned" for an announcement about his next job.

A familiar name takes over

Lorick knows the Hobbs operation from its start. She served as Arizona's state elections director while Hobbs was secretary of state, before Hobbs was elected governor in 2022. In the governor's office she has worked as co-chief legal officer, and she now takes charge of the staff of an administration that has pointed to water, affordability, border security and public education as its main work for the second term.

The chief of staff runs the governor's office day to day, manages senior staff and carries the governor's agenda through the legislature and state agencies. A change in the job, weeks after a reelection win, sets the team that will run Hobbs' second term.