Each year, NGA’s Membership team holds multiple meetings and events designed to support Governors’ offices and their staff members. The meetings provide a robust networking forum and offer educational opportunities to support Governors’ staff members in their work helping Governors and First Spouses govern, further policy priorities and serve the residents of their states and territories.
NGA held its annual convening for Governors’ Schedulers, Executive Assistants, Residence Managers and First Spouses’ Staff in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 26-28. The meeting offered the Governors’ staff members who serve in these roles the opportunity to share best practices with their colleagues from other states.
Attendees participated in several sessions designed to assist Governors’ staff members in excelling in their different roles. Areas of focus included:
- Spotlighting the various ways the staff members’ roles interact and overlap throughout the Governor’s Office, Office of the First Spouse and the Governor’s Mansion;
- Managing the needs and demands of the Governor’s official residence, including holding official events such as welcoming dignitaries, meeting security needs and completing historical renovations; and
- Meeting the unique communications needs of First Spouses and Governors’ Mansions, such as managing official websites and social media accounts and issuing press releases for public events such as tours of a Governor’s official residence.
During the convening, NGA Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox welcomed the group to the Utah Governor’s Mansion. Governor and Mrs. Cox expressed appreciation for the group’s dedication to public service and stressed that Governors and First Spouses could not serve the people in their states and territories without the dedicated service and hard work of Governors’ schedulers, executive assistants, residence managers and first spouses’ staff members.
Mrs. Cox also led a conversation with the Utah Governor’s Mansion Director to discuss the various ways the two work together to manage the many demands related to overseeing the official residence, including meeting the needs of maintaining the residence as the home of each First Family while also overseeing the residence’s function as an official residence that hosts public events, including tours. The conversation focused on sharing ideas that other states and territories can consider modeling, such as the systems Utah has implemented related to hosting official events, following protocol, considering security needs, overseeing renovations, maintaining the historical integrity of the home and fundraising for renovation projects.
For more information about the NGA Membership team’s resources and events for Governors’ Schedulers, Executive Assistants, Residence Managers and First Spouses’ Staff, visit this page or contact membership@nga.org.
