Press Releases
Norfolk, VA – Today, Attorney General-Elect Jay Jones announced the Co-Chairs of his “Standing up for Virginians” transition team. These individuals are distinguished and experienced leaders in the Commonwealth. They share a commitment to public safety, public service, and the well-being of all Virginians. The transition team will work with Attorney General-Elect Jones as he prepares to take office so he can keep our communities safe, protect Virginia jobs, and defend our fundamental rights. Further announcements will be made with additional transition team members.
The Attorney General-elect has appointed the following Co-Chairs of his transition team:
Ralph S. Northam, Co-Chair
73rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Pamela Northam, Co-Chair
Former First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Cynthia E. Hudson, Co-Chair
Former Chief Deputy Attorney General to Mark R. Herring
Erin B. Ashwell, Co-Chair
Partner McGuireWoods; Former Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia
Timothy J. Heaphy, Co-Chair
Former United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia; Former University Counsel, University of Virginia
Paul Reagan, Co-Chair
Former Chief of Staff to Governor Terence R. McAuliffe
Gabe A. Morgan, Co-Chair
Sheriff, Newport News
Colette Wallace McEachin, Co-Chair
Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond
Carlos L. Hopkins, Co-Chair
Former Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
Jeffrey A Breit, Co-Chair
Co-founder and Partner, Breit Biniazan
Matt Mansell, Transition Director
Partner, Broad Street Group
Nicky Zamostny, Transition Chief of Staff
President, Riverside Strategies
Additional Background
Governor Ralph Northam served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022, a term marked by historic progress for Virginia families, workers, and children. As Governor, Ralph Northam expanded Medicaid to more than 400,000 Virginians, advanced record investments in teachers, schools, and early childhood education, raised the minimum wage, and enacted sweeping criminal justice reforms, including abolishing the death penalty and restoring voting rights to tens of thousands of citizens. Governor Northam also led the Commonwealth through the COVID pandemic with a steady hand and an unwavering commitment to science and public health, all while securing historic recognition for Virginia as the best state to do business three years in a row. Before his election to Governor, Ralph Northam served as an Army doctor, pediatric neurologist, business owner, state Senator and Lieutenant Governor. A native of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Northam was educated at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and later served eight years of active duty in the United States Army, rising to the rank of major. In 2022, Northam returned to Norfolk to resume his practice as a pediatric neurologist, where he continues to serve children and their families throughout the Hampton Roads region. Ralph and his wife Pam, a long-time educator and environmental advocate, have two children and two grandchildren.
Pamela Northam is the former First Lady of Virginia. As First Lady, Pamela Northam used her experience as a former pediatric occupational therapist and national award-winning science educator to lead the Northam Administration’s work to increase access to quality early childhood care and education to more children and families than ever before. During those four years over $340 million in new state, federal, and local funds were dedicated to Virginia’s early education system, including $42.9 million in innovative federal preschool development grants overseen by the First Lady’s office. In 2022, she returned to her work in environmental and early education advocacy.
Cynthia Hudson is the owner and managing attorney of Eppes-Hudson Law, PLLC, providing legal and government affairs services to Virginia local governments and other clients, and serves as a mediator and ombuds with The McCammon Group. She previously served as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia (2014–2020) under Mark R. Herring, City Attorney for Hampton (2006–2014), and earlier practiced at Sands Anderson PC and McGuire Woods LLP. A William & Mary Law School adjunct and current Board of Visitors member, she has chaired statewide commissions on racial equity and diversity, led the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, and received numerous honors including the Finnegan-Whiting Award, Oliver Hill Civil Rights Leader Award, and recognition as one of Virginia’s Influential Women of Law. A Nottoway County native, she earned degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of William & Mary.
Erin Ashwell is a partner at McGuireWoods’s nationally ranked Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department. Erin previously served as Chief Deputy Attorney General for Virginia for Attorney General Mark Herring, Erin set legal strategy for more than 500 employees tasked with representing Virginia’s executive agencies as well as the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She also coordinated legal strategy and advice for Virginia’s COVID-19 response. Her work during a time of crisis prompted the National Association of Attorneys General to honor her with the organization’s meritorious service award. Erin serves on the Virginia Bar Association’s Board of Governors and the Steering Committee of the Boyd-Graves Conference.
Timothy Heaphy recently led the House investigation into the Jan. 6 attacks on Capitol Hill. Prior to that role, he served as the University counsel for UVA. He has also served as a partner with Hunton Andrews Kurth. In 2017, he authored a report, commissioned by the city of Charlottesville, on the city’s handling of the events surrounding the Unite the Right rally on Aug. 11-12, 2017. Heaphy served as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2009-14. His previous experience included clerking for Judge John A. Terry of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He was named to the National Law Journal’s 40 important lawyers under 40 list in 2003. In 2016, Heaphy founded a nonprofit organization, the Fountain Fund, which provides low-interest loans to formerly incarcerated people.
Paul Reagan served both as the Transition Director and Chief of Staff to former Governor Terry McAuliffe from late 2013 to 2018. His prior work in government included service as Chief of Staff to Virginia Senator Jim Webb (2007-2013), and to four different members of the Virginia congressional delegation from 1983 to 2002. He was Governor Mark Warner’s Communications Director from 2002 to 2005. From 2018 until May of this year, Reagan was the Director of the Federal Affairs Practice at McGuireWoods Consulting in Washington D.C. Reagan is a 1982 graduate of the College of William and Mary (B.A. Government) and a 1991 graduate of the Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University. He was a recipient of the law school’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. Reagan and his wife Margaret have two grown children. He is a native of Norfolk
Sheriff Gabe Morgan is serving his fifth term as Sheriff of Newport News, leading a staff of more than 200 and overseeing court security, inmate care, and law enforcement operations. Since taking office in 2006, he has championed policies rooted in justice, service, and community engagement. A U.S. Army veteran with over 21 years of service, Sheriff Morgan held leadership roles around the world before entering law enforcement, including command positions focused on security, intelligence, and counterterrorism. He has been a strong voice for mental health reform, serving on multiple state commissions and councils appointed by Virginia governors, and has led local efforts to reduce youth and gang violence. Sheriff Morgan also contributes to civic and educational leadership through board service, including Christopher Newport University and Riverside Health Systems. A lifelong advocate for public safety and children, he remains committed to improving the quality of life for all citizens of Newport News.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette Wallace McEachin has served as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond since November 2019. She is the first woman and the first African-American woman ever elected Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney, an office she has worked in for over 25 years. Before her election, she was the Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney responsible for supervising prosecutors in the General District Courtrooms that handle misdemeanor crimes, felony preliminary hearings, and traffic cases. She also supervised felony sexual assault cases and the Office’s community-based Sector prosecutors. She has prosecuted crimes at every level, from domestic violence to burglaries, rape, and homicides. Colette graduated from Brown University and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Carlos Hopkins is a Partner in Gentry Locke’s Government & Regulatory Affairs practice group, where he leverages his extensive experience in litigation and Virginia government to guide clients through complex legal and regulatory challenges. He previously served as Virginia’s Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs under Governor Ralph Northam, coordinating statewide support for military and veteran communities, and earlier as Counsel to Governor Terry McAuliffe. Carlos’s career also includes service as a Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, Deputy City Attorney for Richmond, and Training Director for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. A retired Colonel in the Virginia Army National Guard, Carlos served more than 32 years, advising senior military leadership and deploying overseas, including as Chief of Military Justice at Guantanamo Bay and Staff Judge Advocate for the 29th Infantry Division in Kuwait. A graduate of The Citadel, Carlos is an avid golfer and scuba diver and a proud father to Isaiah, a 2023 Virginia State University graduate.
Jeffrey Breit is a founding partner of Breit Biniazan, where he has dedicated his career to standing up for individuals and communities harmed by negligence and injustice. A native of Tidewater, Jeffrey’s passion for the law began while working with a federal judge in New Orleans and has guided his decades-long pursuit of accountability for those whose voices are too often unheard. In recent months, Breit’s name frequently has shown up in news articles for being part of the legal team representing Abby Zwerner, the Newport News elementary school teacher shot by a 6-year-old student in January 2023. Breit is also known for his role in the consolidated BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill lawsuits.
Matt Mansell is currently a Partner at Broad Street Group, a government affairs firm he co-founded in 2020. He has worked in and around Virginia state government in a number of roles since 2004. Prior to co-founding Broad Street Group, he was Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs for Governor Ralph Northam, and also served as Acting Policy Director and Legislative Director in the Northam Administration. Matt has also led the legislative advocacy efforts for two health care trade associations, the Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia Health Care Association, and was also Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus from 2006 to 2010. Over his Virginia political career, Matt has worked on statewide political campaigns and managed House of Delegates and State Senate campaigns in all areas of the Commonwealth. Matt is a native of Pulaski County in Southwest Virginia and graduated with a BA from Georgetown University.
Nicky Zamostny is the President of Riverside Strategies, a Richmond-based government affairs firm. Prior to launching her consulting firm, Nicky served two Virginia governors, including as Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security under Governor Ralph Northam and as Assistant Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security under Governor Terry McAuliffe. During her tenure in both administrations, Nicky led and supported numerous high-profile initiatives. Notably, she served as the director of the task force established following the deadly Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, VA, which developed nationwide best practices for incidents of civil unrest. She also helped pass a bipartisan gun violence prevention compromise, supported the implementation of a statewide school safety study and subsequent reforms, and worked to pass bipartisan criminal justice reforms. Nicky grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech and a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
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