Gov.-elect Jim Pillen on Wednesday began construction of his administration by naming the two key figures on his emerging gubernatorial staff.
Former Assistant Attorney General Dave Lopez will serve as Pillen's chief of staff when Pillen assumes the governorship in January, and Kenny Zoeller, his campaign manager, will be director of policy research in the governor's office.
In advance of that, Lopez will serve as director of Pillen's transition team and Zoeller will be transition policy director.
Pillen deputy campaign manager John Gage will be transition communications adviser and Ann Jablonski will be transition scheduler.
Lopez has been a partner at Husch Blackwell, where he has practiced constitutional law and co-led the firm's state attorneys general practice.
Earlier, he served in the Nebraska Department of Justice under both Attorneys General Jon Bruning and Doug Peterson.
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Zoeller led Pillen's successful campaign that resulted in his victory in 91 of Nebraska's 93 counties on Tuesday.
Previously, he served as the chief government performance officer for the Department of Administrative Services, as executive director of the Nebraska Republican Party, as legislative aide to Sen. Mark Kolterman of Seward and as policy adviser to Gov. Pete Ricketts.
Pillen will take over from Ricketts on Jan. 5.
Jim Pillen
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
"I have full trust in these individuals to help lead my administration's efforts to cut government and grow our state," Pillen said.Â
"Together, we will work to protect, train and keep our kids in Nebraska, provide transformative property tax relief, grow agriculture and defend our common-sense, conservative values," he said.Â
Pillen, a pork producer from Columbus, defeated Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue in Tuesday's election, winning 60.5% of the vote. That surpassed the percentage of votes won by Ricketts in the 2014 and 2018 general elections.
It's unclear when Pillen will resign from his spot on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. The governor, either Ricketts or Pillen, will appoint someone to fill the final two years of Pillen's six-year term.
Photos: Scenes from the Nov. 8 general election
Jim Pillen election night/web only
Supporters of gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen wait on the official results on Tuesday at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night/Web only
Jim Pillen speaks to supporters as they wait for votes to be counted during an election night party on Tuesday at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night/Web only
Jim Pillen speaks to supporters as they wait for early returns during an election night party on Tuesday at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night/Web only
Jim Pillen poses with supporters during his election night party on Tuesday at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night
Media outlets set up ahead of Jim Pillen on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night
Jim Pillen's running mate, Joe Kelly, speaks to reporters during an election night party at the Marriott Cornhusker.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star file photo
Patty Pansing Brooks, 11.8
Queer Choir LNK performs at the election night party of of Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday in Lincoln.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Patty Pansing Brooks, 11.8
Queer Choir LNK performs at the election night party of of Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday in Lincoln.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Patty Pansing Brooks, 11.8
Supporters of Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, gather at the campaign's election night party at Lincoln Station on Tuesday in Lincoln.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Patty Pansing Brooks/Web only
Juju Tyner, director of Queer Choir LNK (left), embraces Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District on Tuesday at Lincoln Station in Lincoln.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night/Web only
Jim Pillen's running mate, Joe Kelly, speaks to reporters during an election night party on Tuesday at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Polling location
Voters cast their ballots at the First Christian Church on Tuesday in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Polling location
Voters cast their ballots at the First Christian Church on Tuesday in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Election 2022 Nebraska
Carol Blood, the Democratic Nebraska gubernatorial candidate, speaks with supporters during the election night results party for Blood at the Omaha Firefighters Hall on Tuesday.
Anna Reed, Omaha World-Herald
Election 2022 Nebraska House/Web only
Democratic congressional candidate for Nebraska's 2nd District Tony Vargas (right) hugs his mother, Lidia Vargas, while campaigning in Omaha on Tuesday.Â
Eileen T. Meslar, Omaha World-Herald
110922-owh-new-votersweb-pic-cm12b/Web only
Rep. Don Bacon holds signs on the southeast corner of 90th and Dodge on Tuesday.
CHRIS MACHIAN, Omaha WORLD-HERALD
110922-owh-new-votersweb-pic-cm04/Web only
Rep. Don Bacon holds signs on the southeast corner of 90th and Dodge on Tuesday.
CHRIS MACHIAN, THE WORLD-HERALD
Bacon photo from Tuesday/Web only
Rep. Don Bacon holds signs on the southeast corner of 90th and Dodge in Omaha on Tuesday.
CHRIS MACHIAN, Omaha WORLD-HERALD
Election 2022 Nebraska/Web only
Volunteer Sue Berg places a sign saying that voters will not need ID while helping to get the polling place ready at W. Clarke Swanson Library branch in Omaha on Tuesday. Nebraska voters were deciding on Tuesday whether to amend the state constitution to require valid photo identification in order to vote and authorize the Legislature to pass laws to specify the photo identification requirements.
Chris Machian, World-Herald
Election 2022 Nebraska/Web only
Homer Wesson (right) votes at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation on Tuesday in Omaha. The birthplace of Malcolm X is located on the foundation's property.Â
Chris Machian, Omaha World-Herald
Election-2022-Flood
Rep. Mike Flood said his support of Ukraine in its war against Russia, remains strong.
Hayden Rooney, Nebraska News Service
Pat Condon, Russ Barger
Lancaster County Attorney incumbent Pat Condon (left) poses with District 26 legislative candidate Russ Barger during a Republican candidate party on Tuesday at the One Eleven event space in Lincoln. Condon appeared to hold onto his job and while Barger finished second, his race appears headed for a recount.
Evan Dondlinger, Nebraska News Service
Election 2022-Pillen/Web only
Former Nebraska Head football coach Tom Osborne gives the crowd at the Jim Pillen election party in Lincoln a welcome speech. "He'll make a great governor," Osborne said.Â
Sammy Smith, Nebraska News Service
Jim Pillen election night
Supporters of gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen wait for him to take the stage on Nov. 8 at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night
Supporters cheer as Jim Pillen takes the stage to claim victory in the 2022 gubernatorial election on Tuesday at Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Jim Pillen election night
Republican Jim Pillen speaks at his election night party in Lincoln after winning the governor's race in Nebraska on Tuesday.Â
KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Election-2022-Brooks/Web only
Democratic nominee for the 1st District congressional seat, Patty Pansing Brooks, reacting to her initial poll results. She took an early lead against Republican opponent Mike Flood.
Mady Vinci, Nebraska News Service
Democrats election night, 11.8
State Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, speaks on stage to thank her campaign staffers at her election party on Tuesday at Lincoln Station.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Patty Pansing Brooks
Patty Pansing Brooks and her son, Taylor Brooks, watch as the Lincoln Queer Choir takes the stage during her election night celebration at Lincoln Station Great Hall on Tuesday.
Naomi Delkamiller, Nebraska News Service
Democrats election night, 11.8
Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, speaks on stage to thank her campaign staffers on Tuesday at her election party at Lincoln Station.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Democrats election night, 11.8/Web only
Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, the Democratic nominee in the race to represent Nebraska's 1st Congressional District, thanks her campaign staffers on Tuesday, at her election party at Lincoln Station.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Democrats election night, 11.8
Jane Raybould (left) embraces her husband, Pepe Herrero, on Tuesday at an election night party in Lincoln. Raybould, who serves on the Lincoln City Council, was elected to serve District 28 in the Legislature.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Democrats election night, 11.8
Jane Raybould (right) looks at results with supporters (from left) Carl Eskridge and Dennis Crawford at an election night party Tuesday in Lincoln. Raybould, who serves on the Lincoln City Council, was elected to serve District 28 in the Legislature.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Rep. Mike Flood
1st District Rep. Mike Flood speaks during his election night party in Norfolk as his son, Blake (from left), wife Mandi and son Brenden listen. He beat challenger Patty Pansing Brooks.
Norfolk Daily News
Democrats election night, 11.8
George Dungan III speaks to a supporter on election night.Â
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com .
On Twitter @LJSdon
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