William H. Leighty
Chief of Staff
State of Virginia
Office of Governor Timothy
M. Kaine
Named Chief of Staff by Governor Tim Kaine in January 2006 and by Governor Mark Warner in January 2002, William (Bill) H. Leighty is the senior member of the Governor’s Cabinet. Using his wide-ranging experience from nearly 30 years of state government service, Bill essentially serves as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Chief Operating Officer. Bill oversees the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Cabinet, Governor’s office, and state agencies.
On days when the Governor’s business requires him to be out of the office, Bill has the authority to review all matters requiring the Governor’s decision. Potential matters that could fall under his authority in this situation run the full gamut of budgetary, personnel, policy, legislative and emergency response issues.
In 2006, Mr. Leighty was elected by his peers nationally to become a fellow in the National Academy of Public Administration. Membership to this federally chartered institution is limited to no more than 600 fellows nationally. In 2004 he was selected as one of only 40 promising state leaders from across the country for the Toll Fellowship Program, which is sponsored by The Council of State Governments. His alma mater, Mary Washington College, awarded him the James Monroe Medal in 2004 for his contributions to the education community. Additionally, Bill was selected as a recipient of the 2002 William R. Snodgrass Distinguished Leadership Award. This award was in recognition of the leadership he provided in improving Virginia’s financial management practices, policies, and systems.
After completing a tour of duty with the United States Marine Corps in 1975, Bill graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Economics from Mary Washington College in 1978, and an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University in the same year. Bill has been appointed by both Republican and Democratic governors, serving as Director of the Virginia Retirement System, Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and Deputy Secretary of Transportation. He also was Assistant Director of the Governor’s Commission on Government Reform in 1994. Two projects that Bill spearheaded on behalf of the Commonwealth that he is particularly proud of leading were the successful proposal to locate the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport and facilitating the creation of the Virginia Railway Express -- the commuter rail system in Northern Virginia.
He is married to the former Marti Kearns, his high school prom date, and has one son, Matthew. When Bill has some rare free time from his government obligations, he enjoys bird watching. Of course if the weather is bad, he is just as content curling up with a freshly printed audit.
Bill Leighty's résumé (pdf, 40 k)