Richmond City Council appoints its new chief of staff

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Richmond City Council chose a man with nearly two decades of public service experience to be its new chief of staff on Monday.

During a city council meeting on Monday, May 12, councilmembers voted to appoint RJ Warren as its new Council Chief of Staff.

Throughout the recruitment process, this position had been held temporarily by interim chief of staff Matthew Slaats.

According to the council, Warren has about 18 years of public service experience, with his most recent role being Richmond's deputy city clerk -- a position he has held since 2019. Prior to that, he served in various roles in the Fourth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals for over a decade.

"Richmond City Council is pleased to have Mr. Warren’s exceptional knowledge, skills and abilities and considers him an outstanding choice to lead this important Council Office," the council said in a press release. "Council welcomes Mr. Warren to this new role and looks forward to his service on behalf of Richmond residents."

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Warren will officially assume his role on June 2.