After nearly six years, Jordan Elsbury, Mayor Lenny Curry’s chief of staff, will leave the administration in mid-November.
The administration announced Elsbury’s decision Nov. 2 in a news release.
Elsbury will be replaced by Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Leeann Krieg.
“As Mayor, it has been an honor to have Jordan as part of my administration,” Curry said in the release. “His leadership ability is second to none and his willingness to conquer any task, no matter how complex, is steadfast.”
Elsbury said he plans to leave the public sector and his last official day will be Nov. 12. He said he will say more about his next steps after taking a few weeks to spend time with his family.
Curry appointed Elsbury chief of staff in June 2020 after Brian Hughes was named city chief administrative officer.
Krieg replaced Elsbury in the intergovernmental affairs director position.
She will continue to work in conjunction with Hughes as she moves into the new role, the release said.
“Leeann has been a port in the storm during her tenure in my administration and it is with great pleasure I announce that we will continue to be working together as her role within my office expands,” Curry said.
“Leeann has risen through the ranks of Jacksonville government and her roots are deep within the community,” he said. “Her commitment to our city is unwavering and the future is bright. There is no one better suited to fill the shoes left by Jordan and we are both excited to move forward and are confident the best is yet to come.”
The staffing changes are expected to be complete in mid-November, according to the release.
Elsbury joined Curry during his 2015 campaign for mayor, where he served as campaign coordinator and Curry’s personal aide. Elsbury joined the administration in July 2015 as director of appointments and special projects. He was named intergovernmental affairs director in January 2016.
Elsbury said he sees media coordination at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and helping the Curry administration secure a nearly $1 billion infrastructure deal with Council through an extension of the local option gas tax as his two most important accomplishments as chief of staff.
Elsbury said Krieg played a key role in many of the administration’s legislative victories at City Council that he helped coordinate.
“I want to help Mayor Curry and Leeann Krieg transition over the next couple of weeks. They’re confident and Leann is incredibly poised to take on this job,” Elsbury said.
“Watching Jordan grow his family here in our community has been a joy and I am confident of his continued success as he moves on to new and exciting endeavors,” Curry said. “I am proud to not only call him an employee but also a friend. It has been a pleasure to serve alongside him during his tenure and he will be greatly missed.”
Elsbury plans to remain in Jacksonville with his wife and three children, the announcement says.
Krieg has worked in state and local government for nearly 16 years.
Before moving to the city’s intergovernmental affairs department in 2018, Krieg was the executive council assistant for former Group 4 At-Large Council member Greg Anderson, beginning in 2012.