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Virginia Governor Elect Abigail Spanberger’s Inauguration & Transition

Hope and Power Stategies Founder Melody Gonzales is proud to have been a member of Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger’s “United for Virginia’s Future” Transition Committee. Under the leadership of the transition co-chairs, the committee helped lay the groundwork of GovernorSpanberger’s administration focused on lowering costs, expanding economic opportunity, increasing business investment in Virginia’s economy, and creating a safer Commonwealth for all Virginia families.

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This work is in preparation for the historic inauguration of Governor-Elect Spanberger as the first female governor on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2025.

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Following are some key links & resources for community leaders to know and share:​

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Prior sites for Transition & Inauguration

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State Appointments​

​If you are interested in pursuing a full-time role in the Spanberger Administration (consider this likely requires living in Richmond) or a volunteer board/commission role, following are some key links and steps to take:

  1. ​Research prior administration appointment roles in past blue books at bluebook.virginia.gov.

  2. To get a sense of what salary levels may be like for roles that interest you, research salaries of past appointees in Virginia here: govsalaries.com/salaries/VA/governor-s-office . (Find names and roles in the blue book first, then search the name in this directory.)

  3. Research announcements about appointments from the transition and governor.virginia.gov sites to see what roles have been filled in your agencies of interest, who has been named to lead Secretariats or offices you are interested in and other information that can help you identify your positions of interest.

  4. Remember that gubernatorial appointments are part of a political process. As a candidate, you should research the offices and roles that may best align with your skills and interests, apply through the official website and consider different ways to advocate for yourself - including gathering and submitting letters of recommendation from people who know your skills and leadership style, as well as from leaders who are well-respected in Virginia.

  5. For volunteer board/commission appointments: View application information at https://www.commonwealth.virginia.gov/va-government/boards-and-commissions.

  6. For full-time appointments: Please note that the official application process will likely have updated web links and contact email addresses. Prior to her January 17th inauguration, candidates were encouraged to apply through the official transition site to serve in the Spanberger Administration and email recommendations to recommendations@gov-elect.virginia.gov.

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Latino Community Transition & Inauguration Updates

Melody is also volunteering with a community-led effort, the Virginia Latino Advisory Coalition, to encourage Latino professionals to pursue full-time and board/commission roles in Spanberger administration and support them in their process. While joining this talent bank does not guarantee interviews or a job, this is an important advocacy and support mechanism designed to support the Latino community that represents 11% of Virginia’s population.

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Hope and Power was also honored to cohost the 5th Annual Hora Latina Reception, a gubernatorial inauguration weekend celebration honoring the contributions of Latinos to our Commonwealth and welcoming the new administration. Led by the Virginia Latino Leaders Council, the event included the support of: the UnidosUS Action Fund, VA Coalition of Latino Organizations, Juntos, Virginia LULAC, LIUNA, Supervisor Andres Jimenez, VLC and others.  ​

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