Virginia’s governor picks former Obama official as transformation chief

Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Friday announced she’s selected David Wilkinson, a former Obama White House official, to serve in her Cabinet as Virginia’s chief transformation officer.

The position was created in 2022 when then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order that set up the commonwealth’s Office of Transformation, now called the Office of Transformation & Opportunity. The first person to hold the chief transformation officer title was Eric Moeller, a private-sector executive who’d worked for Chevron, Valero and the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Former Youngkin adviser Robert Ward was named to the role in 2024. Garrison Coward, the state’s former deputy CTO, the most recent appointee to the office, has served in the role since last August, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“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,” Wilkinson said in a news release. “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.”

According to the state, Wilkinson has helped design both federal and state laws and policies advancing more-effective government, using data, technology and process reforms to improve outcomes for residents and businesses. He served as director of the White House Office of Social Innovation for two years under Barack Obama, and served on the White House Council for Environmental Quality as senior policy adviser for impact investing.

Most recently, Wilkinson served as the founding executive director of Yale University’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy. He’s a member of the Commission on Social Impact Partnerships, to which he was appointed by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, the Democrat from Oregon.

Before leading the Tobin Center, Wilkinson held two Cabinet roles in Connecticut: from 2017 to 2019 he served as Connecticut’s commissioner of early childhood, directing one of the state’s largest agencies and managing a nearly $500 million budget supporting about 200,000 children and families. In 2019, he served as Connecticut’s chief performance officer.

“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,” Spanberger said in the news release. “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.”