Governor-Elect Christie Announces Chairs of Transition Task Force on Budget and Taxes

Task Force to Get to Work Addressing New Jersey's Fiscal Challenges Trenton, NJ - Governor-Elect Chris Christie today named two budget and fiscal experts to chair a special Transition Task Force on Budget and Taxes and asked them to get to work immediately on developing recommendations to help address New Jersey's fiscal challenges.

The Governor-Elect named Richard H. Bagger of Westfield, an executive at Pfizer Inc and a former Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and Robert E. Grady, a Livingston native, former aide to Governor Thomas H. Kean and former top official at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as Co-Chairmen of the task force.

"Addressing the problems facing New Jersey's economy is my highest priority, " Christie said, "and with these two experienced budget and fiscal experts helping me spearhead our efforts we are able to get to work right away."

The Task Force Co-Chairmen will help develop recommendations to address the fiscal deficit that state experts have estimated at over $8 billion for the coming fiscal year 2011, and to respond to the shortfall in projected state revenues in the current fiscal year 2010. They will recruit additional Task Force members and staff experts to address various components of the State's fiscal emergency.

Bagger served in the New Jersey Assembly from 1993 to 2002 and in the State Senate from 2002 to 2003. He was Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee from 1998 to 2002. He was a former Councilman and Mayor of Westfield. Currently, he serves as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Public Affairs at Pfizer Inc. Earlier in his career, Bagger served as Assistant General Counsel of Blue Cross/Blue Shield and was an attorney with the law firm of McCarter and English.

Grady served as Chief of Staff to former U.S. Representative Millicent Fenwick, as Director of Communications for former Governor Thomas H. Kean, and as Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Associate Director of OMB in the Administration of former President George H.W. Bush. For the last decade, he had been the partner in charge of venture capital investing at The Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest private equity firms. Before retiring this summer and joining Cheyenne Capital Fund, a private equity firm, he served as Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) in 2006-2007 and as a professor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business from 1994-2004. ###

For Immediate Release Thursday, November 12, 2009. Contact: Maria Comella 609-341-3000

Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell Announces Senior Advisors to Transition

RICHMOND- Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell announced today senior advisors to the transition. The advisors will assist the five official transition Co-Chairs, as well as the transition staff, with preparations for McDonnell taking office as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on January 16th. In addition, McDonnell announced four additional transition staff appointments. The appointments can be found at the bottom of this release.

The senior advisors are listed below.

For more information on the McDonnell Transition Co-Chairs, and the members of the transition staff, please visit: www.mcdonnelltransition.com

Senior Advisors to the Gubernatorial Transition

Michel Zajur- Richmond

Michel Zajur is the founder and President/CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

W. Heywood Fralin- Roanoke

Fralin is chief executive officer of Medical Facilities of America. He is the Rector of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Ed Gillespie- Fairfax

Gillespie volunteered as General Chairman for McDonnell for Governor. He served as Counselor to President George W. Bush during the last 18 months of the Bush Administration and is former Chairman of both the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia.

Frank Atkinson- Richmond

Atkinson is Chairman of McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and a partner in McGuireWoods LLP. He served as Counselor and Director of Policy in Governor George Allen’s administration.

Betsy Beamer- Richmond

Beamer served as Secretary of the Commonwealth in Governor George Allen’s administration.

Thelma Drake- Norfolk

Drake represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 2004-2008. She formerly served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1996-2004.

Tom Davis- Fairfax

Davis represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1995-2008. He served as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1998-2002.

Diana Cantor- Richmond

Cantor, a lawyer, CPA and former investment banker at Goldman Sachs is a managing director of NY Private Bank & Trust. She served as the founder and Executive Director of the Virginia College Savings Plan from 1996-2007, an independent state agency. She is the wife of United States Congressman Eric Cantor, the House Republican Whip.

Glen Huff- Virginia Beach

Huff is the founder and a co-managing shareholder of Huff, Poole & Mahoney, P.C. in Virginia Beach

Dave Barrett- Richmond

Barrett is the Vice Chairman of The Virginia Family Foundation

Chuck Cunningham- Fairfax

Cunningham is director of federal affairs for the National Rifle Association.

James S. Cheng- Fairfax

Cheng is President of Totus Lighting Solutions. He formerly owned Computer and Hi-Tech Management, Inc. (CMH).

Judy Ford Wason- Williamsburg

Wason headed “Virginians for McDonnell” during the 2009 campaign. She was Executive Director of “Virginians for Mark Warner” in the 2001 gubernatorial race. She served as a Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs for President Ronald Reagan, and managed Senatorial campaigns for former Senators Paul Trible and John Warner. She currently is involved with a number of Virginia civic and community groups, including the Christopher Newport University Center for Public Policy.

In addition to the announcement of Senior Advisors to the transition, McDonnell also continued making a number of transition staff appointments.

Today he announced the following positions:

Crystal Cameron: Chief of Staff to the First Lady-Designate

Taylor Thornley: Deputy Director of Communications

Andrew Lamar: Legislative Liason

Brandon DeGraaf: Community Relations Assistant ###

Press Release: Contact: J. Tucker Martin, Phone: (804) 786-4100 Email: Tucker.Martin@Gov-Elect.Virginia.Gov

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