(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor L. Hoskins today announced that a new Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff have been chosen to help lead the agency as it continues its goals of growing and strengthening the economic base of the District of Columbia. Those new hires are Richard M. Nichols as Chief of Staff and Andrew T. Trueblood as Deputy Chief of Staff.
“Richard and Andrew are two keenly astute professionals who are eager and poised to help us continue meeting our agency’s goal,” said Deputy Mayor Hoskins. “I am excited about what the future holds with both of them helping me at the helm as we execute upon The Five-Year Economic Development Strategy and push into the redevelopment of land parcels such as St. Elizabeths East, Walter Reed and McMillan Reservoir.”
In his capacity as DMPED’s Chief of Staff, Nichols will be responsible for managing business development, real estate development, administrative, communications, contracting, financial, and legal professionals, among other staff. He will serve as second-in-command for the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, leading the charge on budget and staffing initiatives, office programs and policies and other strategic endeavors. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Trueblood will report to Chief of Staff Nichols and be the right-hand to his work on office initiatives, providing critical consulting and research assistance.
Nichols recently ran his own law firm and served as partner at Gordon & Rees, LLP, serving as an expert legal mind in crisis management and communications, particularly working on cases related to the fields of sports, entertainment, media and corporate law. He has also worked with growing technology companies to secure licensing and venture capital financing in his thirty-plus-year career. Nichols received his A.B. from Dartmouth College, his M.A. from Stanford University, and his J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of Law. Trueblood has served in both federal agencies and with the DC Housing Authority, working on special project financing and other analytic work related to housing finance. He received his A.B. from Princeton University and his M.C.P. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Both candidates will begin at the agency in July. This announcement comes on the heels of the departure of longtime Chief of Staff Brian T. Kenner who was recently named as the City Manager for the City of Takoma Park, Maryland.
Media Contact: Chanda Washington (DMPED), (202) 727-6365