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Colorado's Incoming Secretary Of State Bringing In Fresh Faces To Lead Office

Courtsey of Jena Griswold for Colorado

Jena Griswold, who will soon become Colorado's first Democratic Secretary of State in 60 years, has announced who will help her lead the office.

Meanwhile, outgoing Secretary of State Wayne Williams told the Colorado Springs Gazette he is thinking about running for city council next year.

Griswold is replacing many of Williams' senior staff members with new faces.

Her hires include:

Jenny Flanagan, Deputy Secretary of State: Griswold says Flanagan brings more than 15 years of election accessibility and transparency experience to the office. Flanagan most recently served as the vice president for state operations for Common Cause.

Ben Schler, Senior Advisor: Schler has spent the last eight years working for the secretary of state's office. Since April, he has served as the office's legal and policy manager.

Shad Murib, Director of Government and Public Affairs: Murib comes to the office from Jared Polis' gubernatorial campaign, where he served as policy and research director. Murib previously served as the chief of staff for Colorado Senate Democrats.

Serena Woods, Communications Director: Woods was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cary Kennedy's deputy campaign manager and communications director. She is replacing Lynn Bartels.

In a press release announcing the hires, Griswold offered some praise to the outgoing staff at the secretary of state's office.

"The current staff in the Secretary of State's office and Colorado's dedicated county clerks have helped make Colorado's elections some of the most secure and accessible in the country," she said. "I look forward to working together to take our state to the next level."

Capitol Coverage is a collaborative public policy reporting project, providing news and analysis to communities across Colorado for more than a decade. Eleven public radio stations participate in Capitol Coverage from throughout Colorado.

Copyright 2018 KUNC

Scott Franz is a government watchdog reporter and photographer from Steamboat Springs. He spent the last seven years covering politics and government for the Steamboat Pilot & Today, a daily newspaper in northwest Colorado. His reporting in Steamboat stopped a police station from being built in a city park, saved a historic barn from being destroyed and helped a small town pastor quickly find a kidney donor. His favorite workday in Steamboat was Tuesday, when he could spend many of his mornings skiing untracked powder and his evenings covering city council meetings. Scott received his journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is an outdoorsman who spends at least 20 nights a year in a tent. He spoke his first word, 'outside', as a toddler in Edmonds, Washington. Scott visits the Great Sand Dunes, his favorite Colorado backpacking destination, twice a year. Scott's reporting is part of Capitol Coverage, a collaborative public policy reporting project, providing news and analysis to communities across Colorado for more than a decade. Fifteen public radio stations participate in Capitol Coverage from throughout Colorado.