Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced that Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Jordan Elsbury is now the city’s chief of staff.
Curry said the staff shift was effective June 15 in a news release. Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Leeann Krieg will replace Elsbury and lead that office, according to a city spokesperson.
The position was left vacant July 1 after Curry appointed former Chief of Staff Brian Hughes as his chief administrative officer.
Elsbury, 28, has been with Curry since his 2015 mayoral campaign, where he served as campaign coordinator and Curry’s personal aide. Elsbury was brought into Curry’s administration in July 2015 as director of appointments and special projects.
He was named intergovernmental affairs director in January 2016.
“Chief of Staff is an integral part of my administration,” Curry said in a written statement June 15. “Jordan has proven his knowledge, leadership and experience in meeting the needs of Jacksonville citizens while advocating mayoral legislative priorities at the local, state and federal level. He has also helped build and support invaluable and crucial relationships with government officials and community leaders.”
Elsbury worked for the Republican Party of Louisiana from June 2014 to January 2015 as a field director and regional field director before joining the Curry campaign.
As Curry’s chief of staff, Elsbury will be in a supervisory role along with Hughes over city department heads and act as an advisor to Curry.
Krieg has worked in state and local government for 15 years, according to the news release. Before moving to the city’s intergovernmental affairs department in 2018, Krieg served as the executive council assistant to former Group 4 At-Large Council member Greg Anderson, beginning in 2012.
The director of intergovernmental affairs, among other duties, acts as a liaison between the Curry administration and Council members.