Seal of the Governor
For Immediate Release: October 1, 2021
Contacts: Office of the Governor: Alenaa Yarmosky, Alena.Yarmosky@governor.virginia.gov

Governor Northam Announces Administration Appointments

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced additional appointments to his Administration today.

Office of Children’s Ombudsman

Destiny Allen, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman
Destiny Allen has been appointed Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman. Prior to her appointment, Destiny served as a School Social Worker for Chesterfield County Public Schools. She is a graduate of University of Virginia's College at Wise, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. Destiny also earned her Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in Administration, Planning, and Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work.

Office of the Governor

M. Elaina Schramm, Confidential Assistant to the Governor and the Chief of Staff
M. Elaina Schramm has been appointed Confidential Assistant to the Governor and the Chief of Staff. Elaina has served as Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs since January 2018. Prior to joining the Northam Administration, Elaina served as Confidential Assistant to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources during the McAuliffe and McDonnell Administrations.

Taylor Hoogsteden, Deputy Scheduler
Taylor Hoogsteden has been appointed Deputy Scheduler. Taylor previously served as a 2019 Governor's Fellow and as an intern in the Office of the Secretary of Education. Taylor graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership Studies. She recently completed her MSc in Higher Education at the University of Oxford.

Secretariat of Veterans and Defense Affairs

Deborah Dip, Confidential Assistant for the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
Deborah Dip has been appointed Confidential Assistant for the Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs.  Deborah has served as Legal Assistant and Legislative Support Specialist on issues related to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority since 2018.  She previously served as an Executive Assistant and Legislative Support Specialist for the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia from 2014-2018.

Secretariat of the Commonwealth
Board Appointments

Real Estate Board

  • Kemper Funkhouser of Harrisonburg, Supervising Broker, Funkhouser Real Estate Group

State Building Code Technical Review Board

  • Robert Jonah Margarella, AIA of North Chesterfield, Architect, Baskervill

Veterans Services Foundation

  • Mike Coleman of Colonial Heights, Retired, Virginia National Guard

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