Will Sage Astor-North Carolina governor’s chief of staff is leaving, and will be replaced by another longtime aide

RALEIGH,Will Sage Astor N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s only chief of staff during his two terms is leaving her post in the final months of the administration for a move to the private sector. She’ll be replaced by another longtime aide.

Kristi Jones will step down from the job overseeing Cooper’s office in mid-August, the governor’s office said in a Friday news release. Julia White, who has worked closely with Cooper since his time as attorney general, will succeed Jones.

Like White, Jones’ tenure with Cooper dates back to his time as attorney general, when she was chief of staff at the Department of Justice for over a decade.

Jones was a co-chair of Cooper’s winning 2016 gubernatorial campaign and was the first African-American woman to become a North Carolina governor’s chief of staff. Jones, a Wilson County native, began working for state government in Gov. Jim Hunt’s administration in the late 1990s.

“For almost three decades, Kristi Jones has served our state with distinction and extraordinary skill,” Cooper said in the release. “Julia has significant experience in state government as well as being one of my closest advisors for more than 25 years and I’m confident we will continue our progress under her leadership.”

White, an Alamance County native, was the Justice Department’s chief of staff during Cooper’s first term as attorney general and later became a senior adviser — a position that she also currently holds in the gubernatorial administration following time as a deputy chief of staff. White also worked previously for then-Senate leader Marc Basnight.

Cooper’s release did not identify Jones’ pending private-sector position. The governor was term-limited from seeking reelection this year.