(The Center Square) – Change is coming to the Arizona governor’s office after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ reelection to a second term.
Chad Campbell, Hobbs’ chief of staff since the governor’s first year in office, will step down at month’s end, with Hobbs’ longtime co-chief legal officer and former state elections director, Kori Lorick, taking over.
Hobbs dispatched U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Queen Creek, in this year’s election by 340,425 votes (or 13%).
While Hobbs’ office did not reply to The Center Square’s requests to talk with Campbell or Lorick, both were quoted in a press release sent out by the governor’s office on Thursday.
“Serving Governor Hobbs and the people of Arizona as Chief of Staff has been the absolute honor of my career,” Campbell said in the release. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together, and I leave knowing the Governor’s office is in exceptional hands with Kori.”
Campbell was announced as Hobbs’ second chief of staff in May 2023 after her first one, Allie Bones, resigned.
Campbell is the former minority leader in the Arizona House, having served in the chamber from 2007 to 2015 in Arizona’s 14th and 24th districts. He and Hobbs served together in the state House from 2011 to 2013, when she won her election in 24th District of the Arizona Senate.
No reason was given by the governor’s office about why Campbell left his role as chief of staff.
Hobbs’ new chief of staff is a longtime state government mainstay, previously serving as the elections compliance manager and state elections director when Hobbs was secretary of state from 2019 to 2022.
Lorick has worked for Hobbs’ governor’s office since 2023, starting as deputy general counsel in 2023 before moving on to become her deputy chief of staff for strategic operations from 2023 to 2025 and chief legal officer for litigation, health and public safety, which she did from April 2025 through now.
Before that, Lorick was an assistant federal public defender from 2017 to 2019 and an attorney for the Alaska Legal Services Corporation from 2015 to 2017.
Lorick earned her juris doctorate from Stanford Law School in 2015, with the right type of background to move Hobbs’ priorities forward, the governor said in Thursday’s release.
“Chad has been an invaluable partner throughout my first term in office, and I am deeply grateful for his steady leadership and dedication to public service,” Hobbs said in the release. “Kori is a proven public servant who knows exactly how to navigate complex challenges and deliver real results. She has the grit and the vision to lead this team, and I am confident in her ability to keep the administration moving forward.”
Lorick said she looks forward to helping Hobbs enact her policy goals, which are likely to include bolstering K-12 spending and finding a long-term solution to the state’s water needs.
“I am honored by Governor Hobbs’ trust and ready to lead this incredibly talented team into our next phase of work,” Lorick said in the release. “We remain laser-focused on tackling the real issues facing Arizonans, and I look forward to executing the Governor’s vision to lower costs, secure our water future, grow our economy and invest in our public schools.”
This article was originally published by The Center Square and is republished under its open-access guidelines.