Keith, Cervini Named to Transition Team by Lt. Gov. Denish

She's out of the gate and on the move with some excellent personnel picks. Lt. Governor Diane D. Denish today named Kathy Keith as director and Chris Cervini as communications director for her gubernatorial transition team. Denish looks ready to spring into action whenever Bill Richardson is confirmed as Obama's pick for Secretary of Commerce, and he officially resigns as Governor. At that point, Denish will automatically become Governor according to the New Mexico Constitution. It's still up in the air as to when exactly Richardson's Senate confirmation hearing will be held, and how long it will take for the Senate to act on his nomination.

"Governor Richardson and I are committed to a smooth and seamless transition of power. I assure the people of New Mexico that there will be no interruption in sgood state government and public service. When the time comes for me to take power, I stand prepared to lead," Lt. Governor Denish said. "The transition staff will work at my direction to prepare the administration to hit the ground running on day one. New Mexico faces serious challenges and we will be ready to meet them head on. Kathy and Chris bring exceptional experience, skills, and professionalism to our transition efforts. It's a pleasure to welcome them to the team."

Lt. Governor Denish named Kathy Keith (right) as Transition Director to be the point person to the Governor's Office and overall manager of transition activities. Kathy Keith joins the staff from Public Works, LLC a private firm which assists Governors and their cabinet agencies nationwide on projects involving planning, innovative policy and efficiency. Previously Keith served as the Director of Economic Development Division for the State of New Mexico (2003-2006), as the Director of the federal program to rebuild Los Alamos following the Cerro Grande Fire (2000-2002), as the White House Liaison at the U.S. Department of Energy (1998-2000) and for the United States Congress (1993-1998) in various capacities. She is a native of Tucumcari and holds a bachelors degree in journalism and political science from Texas Tech University.

Chris Cervini (left, with Denish) was named Transition Communications Director and will be responsible for communicating the activities of the transition and working with agency PIOs and current governor's office communications staff on the transition. Chris Cervini joins the transition from Lovelace Health System where he served as External Communications Manager in the Marketing and Public Relations Department. Before that he was Chief of Staff and Communications and Policy Director for Lt. Governor Denish from 2003-2006. He has a Master's Degree in Political Science from American University in Washington, D.C.

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