Governor Peter Shumlin today announced that his Chief of Staff Liz Miller will leave state government at the end of the legislative session. The governor has tapped Darren Springer, currently the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Service (DPS), to serve as his next Chief of Staff.
“Liz agreed to leave the private sector and serve in state government during my first term,” Shumlin said. “Four and half years and two jobs later, she has decided it is time to leave state government. She has been an amazing Chief of Staff, and while I wish I could keep her around longer, I’m thankful for her dedicated service to me and to Vermont over these past years.”
The governor said, “I’m incredibly excited to have Darren joining the team. He has a proven record of getting tough things done, he’s very well-respected in the Legislature, has an impressive grasp of all levels of government, and he is the right person to help us move forward and address the challenges facing our great state.”
Miller joined the Shumlin Administration in 2011 as Commissioner of the Department of Public Service, where she shepherded the state's first Comprehensive Energy Plan in more than a decade, laying the groundwork for the significant renewable energy achievements during Governor Shumlin's administration. She took over for Shumlin’s first Chief of Staff Bill Lofy at the beginning of his second term in 2012.
Springer has served as DPS Deputy Commissioner since March 2013, leading the legislative work on energy and the environment for the Department. Prior to joining the Department, Springer served for 4 years in the Washington D.C. Office of U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders as a Senior Policy Advisor for Energy & Environment and later as the Senator's Chief Counsel. Previously Darren worked as Energy & Transportation Program Director for the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, also in Washington, D.C. Springer has a B.A. from Florida Atlantic University and earned a J.D. and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, and while at Vermont Law he served as law clerk for U. S. Senator Patrick Leahy on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He lives in Burlington with his wife Stephanie Young and their two children.