Gov. Tate Reeves delivers his State of the State address on the steps of the State Capitol Tuesday afternoon. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday announced staff changes, including a temporary chief of staff to replace Brad White, who was recently appointed director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

Reeves has lost at least four senior staffers since becoming governor in January 2020: White, the chief of staff; Parker Briden, a carryover from Reeves’ 2019 campaign who served as deputy chief of staff starting in 2020; Kenny Ellis, a longtime Reeves staffer who served as the governor’s senior policy director; and Renae Eze, another 2019 campaign carryover who served as Reeves’ communications director.

Reeves has also lost several lower-level policy staffers since he took office in 2020.

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Liz Welch, currently director of the state Department of Finance and Administration, will temporarily take over White’s duties, Reeves said in a press release on Thursday. A DFA spokeswoman said Welch would continue serving as full-time director of that agency. Welch was former secretary of the Senate when Reeves was lieutenant governor and presided over that chamber, and she was Reeves’ deputy when he was state treasurer.

David Maron, who has been Reeves’ chief legal counsel, will serve as deputy chief of staff and chief legal counsel.

Anne Hall Brashier will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and legislative affairs. Brashier, who previously worked for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined Reeves’ staff as deputy policy director when he was elected governor in 2019.

Cory Custer will serve as deputy chief of staff for external affairs, Reeves’ release said. Custer is a former Trump administration appointee serving as assistant commissioner of public affairs at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“I am confident that each of these individuals have the credentials and passion to help continue implementing my pro-business, pro-jobs, pro-economic growth agenda,” said Reeves.

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Geoff Pender serves as senior political reporter, working closely with Mississippi Today leadership on editorial strategy and investigations. Pender brings 30 years of political and government reporting experience to Mississippi Today. He was political and investigative editor at the Clarion Ledger, where he also penned a popular political column. He previously served as an investigative reporter and political editor at the Sun Herald, where he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Hurricane Katrina coverage. Originally from Florence, Mississippi, Pender is a journalism graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and has received numerous awards throughout his career for reporting, columns and freedom of information efforts.