Governor Spanberger Announces Chief Transformation Officer

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the appointment of David Wilkinson to serve in her cabinet as Virginia's Chief Transformation Officer.

"From my first day in office, my Administration has focused on delivering the pragmatic leadership Virginians deserve - and taken concrete steps together with both parties to tackle high costs, attract new business investment, and contend with the deep uncertainty coming out of Washington," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "As a national leader in advancing better, more efficient government, David Wilkinson shares my commitment to making sure every taxpayer dollar is put to the best possible use. I know he will be a tremendous asset to our Commonwealth as we implement our Affordable Virginia Agenda, streamline state government, and deliver measurable results for Virginians."

"As a proud Virginian, I am honored to serve the Commonwealth and eager to advance Governor Spanberger's vision for delivering practical solutions on the issues that matter to Virginians," said Wilkinson. "By working together across agencies, deploying modern technology, and cutting red tape, we can create a government that better responds to the needs of families, businesses, and local communities. I look forward to working under Governor Spanberger's leadership to make sure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly and leveraged effectively to meet these priorities - saving Virginians money, growing Virginia's economy, and strengthening Virginia schools."

BIOGRAPHY

David Wilkinson, Chief Transformation Officer

A Virginian born and raised in Richmond, David Wilkinson is a former senior White House official and is a national leader in government transformation. His work has contributed meaningfully to the fields of customer-centered, results-driven government in the United States. At the federal and state levels, he has helped design, pass and implement laws and policies advancing better, more effective government using data, technology, evidence, and process reforms to deliver improved outcomes for residents and businesses.

Wilkinson was most recently founding Executive Director of Yale University's Tobin Center for Economic Policy, Yale's flagship U.S. domestic policy center. He previously held two cabinet roles in Connecticut. As Connecticut's Chief Performance Officer, he led statewide efforts to advance data-enabled, streamlined, outcomes-driven government. Previously, as Connecticut's Commissioner of Early Childhood, he directed one of the state's largest agencies, deploying or leveraging annual funding of nearly half a billion dollars in support of approximately 200,000 children and families, and gaining national recognition for innovations in outcomes-based procurement and customer-centered program design.

As President Obama's Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation, Wilkinson led efforts in the Obama Administration to identify and scale measurably better government services, advancing Presidential priorities that strengthened communities and enabled upward economic mobility. Wilkinson previously served on the White House Council for Environmental Quality (CEQ) as Senior Policy Advisor for Impact Investing. At CEQ, he developed policies enabling investors and capital markets to better support sustainability, decarbonization, and environmental resilience. Earlier in his career, he worked in affordable housing, mission finance, and community development. He has served as an intern for then Lt. Governor Tim Kaine.

At the federal level, Wilkinson is a member of the Commission on Social Impact Partnerships, to which he was appointed by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School and on the Young Alumni Council of the University of Virginia.

Wilkinson has won national recognition for advancing innovations in government, which have won broad, bipartisan support. Wilkinson is a graduate of Yale Law School and the University of Virginia. He lives in Richmond with his wife and two children, the eldest of whom is a kindergartner in Richmond Public Schools.

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