Whitmer's Chief of Staff Departing After Unprecedented 7.5 Years In Role

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 07/17/2026) After a nearly eight-year tenure, JoAnne Huls will exit her role as the Governor's only Chief of Staff on July 31.

She will serve as a senior advisor.

For the final four months of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration, the torch will pass to Zack Pohl, the current principal deputy chief of staff.

"She was by my side through it all, acting as an effective and decisive leader and helping us make historic progress to fix the damn roads, create jobs, and more. JoAnne is a dear friend," Whitmer said in a press release. "I'm excited to promote Zack Pohl to be my next chief of staff. He's been on the team since my 2018 campaign, and he's a clear strategic thinker who steps up every day for Michiganders. I'm looking forward to working with him as we run through the finish line. Let's keep getting things done."

Huls' government career kicked off in the 1990s while seeking an internship after she completed her student teaching.

She studied child development at Michigan State University, and started in politics in Debbie Stabenow's state House office. Before Stabenow became a long-time U.S. senator, she tried running for governor in 2000 with Huls by her side as a key staffer.

She also served as Gov. Jennifer Granholm's deputy chief of staff, and spent more than six years in the private sector working with Chemical Bank and Talmer Bank and Trust.

Steven Liedel, who served as Granholm's general counsel, said it's unprecedented for a chief of staff to serve essentially a full term in the Governor's office. Typically, he explained, chiefs of staff leave the role every two to four years.

"If I were going into battle, like on a policy or state government issue … the first person I'd put on my list to have in the foxhole would be JoAnne Huls," Liedel said. "She's somewhat fearless. She doesn't suffer fools, and she can organize people effectively to deliver on the direction or objective that a governor is seeking."

He described Huls as playing a crucial role in crafting a road funding deal with legislators last year, attracting economic development projects, building partnerships with federal officials and managing the relationship between Whitmer's office and former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

"If it wasn't the Governor talking to Mayor Duggan, it was JoAnne coordinating items with him and his key staff – new assembly plants for Jeep in Detroit," Liedel said. "In the Granholm administration, as deputy chief of staff, all the logistics relating to holding and conducting the removal hearing for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick."

Tommy Stallworth III, a former Detroit representative, met Huls in fall 2019. At the time, he was handling Duggan's government relations, and the Governor's office was interested in recruiting him.

Stallworth described Huls as a chief of staff focussed on impacts, not the petty politics that can take place in bureaucracy. He called her a super-supporter as he worked on a racial disparities task force during the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid task force.

"I would say she's right at the top of the food chain in terms of the quality of leadership," Stallworth said.

As someone who comes from a family of public officials, Stallworth noted that throughout administrations, there seemed to be a hierarchical culture around chiefs of staff and executive office members. However, he said he didn't feel that way when working in Whitmer's office.

"Their opinions had equal value. They were empowered to do their jobs without having to go through three, four or five approval steps," he said. "(Huls) drove an executive office culture that was really inclusive."

Christina Grossi, Whitmer's previous chief legal counsel, gave a shout-out to Huls' life as a single mother to her son, who was in elementary school when Huls became Whitmer's chief of staff. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she said Huls was worried about not being able to continue the job due to childcare barriers and long Lansing commutes from Metro Detroit.

She said Huls' son would be seen everywhere, dressed up in suits at State of the State after parties, around the office and other after-hours events. Grossi explained Huls had to navigate taking 9 p.m. Sunday phone calls about tornadoes, while also making sure her son was picked up from camp while working on the state police's response efforts.

Grossi added that Huls played a role in building up Whitmer's national persona, trying to keep her connected with everyday people.

"I think JoAnne has been so strategic and so smart in making sure that the Governor stayed relevant on the national level, which benefits Michigan, right? It gets Michigan talked about. It gets Michigan resources and attention," she said. "But making sure in that process the Governor is still relatable, still down to earth. … I think future governors will probably look at Governor Whitmer as a template to kind of make your state relevant."

She added that it's not unusual for people around Lansing and the government to know Huls, but never see or meet her as she worked behind the scenes.

Other updates at the Governor's office following the announcement include:

- Maria Martinez, who became deputy chief of staff in November 2023, is being promoted to chief deputy to the Governor.

- Kara Cook, the Governor's legislative affairs director, will serve as deputy chief of staff.

- Emily Mellitis, the director of Whitmer's office of community engagement, will serve as the external affairs director.

- Carly Swanson, a community engagement specialist, will serve as deputy director of external affairs.

- Victoria Houston, the office's point of contact for labor unions, will serve as a senior external affairs specialist.

- Anna Cool, a community engagement specialist for south central Michigan, as well as for the state's LGBTQ-plus stakeholders, is being promoted to a senior external affairs specialist.

- Julia Evasic, who joined the office in 2022 as an advance associate, will serve as deputy director of advance.

- Preston Weyland, who's managed federal grants and appropriations for the office since April 2021, will serve as the senior director of federal affairs.

- Nathan Reynolds, a federal grants and appropriations manager, will serve as deputy director of federal affairs.