Governor announces additions to office staff

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday the following changes and additions to his office staff:

Craig Foster now serves as deputy director of policy. Most recently, he served as a senior policy advisor to the governor. Prior to joining the Kemp administration, Foster worked as a policy analyst for the House Budget and Research Office for 15 years. A lifelong Georgian, he is a resident of Dallas.

Ian Caraway has been appointed to be a legislative liaison to the Senate and senior policy advisor. In this role, he serves as Kemp’s liaison to Georgia’s 700 local governments and advises the governor on education and work force development policy. Prior to joining the administration, Caraway worked on the governor’s 2018 campaign. With more than a decade of experience in Georgia politics, he has worked in all three branches of state government. Caraway is a lifelong Georgian.

Caitlan Coleman serves as a legislative liaison to the House and policy advisor. Prior to joining the governor’s staff, she served as the communications manager for the Georgia House Majority Caucus. Coleman grew up in rural southeast Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

Ryan Loke has been named deputy chief operating officer. Prior to this role, he served as the governor’s health policy advisor. Before moving into this new position, Loke worked in the private sector advising several Georgia-based companies on legislative strategy. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Political Science and is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health.

Laurin Vonada is now serving as associate executive counsel. Prior to joining the governor’s staff, she was employed by the Georgia Senate Research Office as a senior policy analyst for three years. Her focus was on state policy that affected K-12 education, higher education, and the multiple state retirement systems. Vonada graduated with a juris doctorate from Georgia State University and is a member of the Georgia Bar Association. She was a teacher prior to attending law school. She graduated from Auburn University in 2011 with her a degree in elementary education. Vonada and her family live in Atlanta.

Amy Doehrman has been named staff appointments director. She formerly served as a fundraising and grassroots consultant at War Room Strategies. She graduated from the University of Georgia in May of 2018 with degrees in Political Science and International Affairs.

Mallory Blount is now the governor’s press secretary. Previously, she served as director of specialty media for the White House. She was also director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of the Treasury and deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Blount is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in Digital and Broadcast Journalism and minors in Political Science and English.

Kelsey Finn has been named associate executive counsel. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a juris doctor from the University of Alabama. Finn also will receive an LL.M. in Tax and Business Transactions from Alabama Law this spring. While in law school, Finn served as a student attorney in the Entrepreneurship & Nonprofit Clinic and provided legal service to small business owners and nonprofits. Finn started her career in Georgia interning for the Commercial Transactions and Litigation Division within the Office of the Attorney General. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and has lived and worked in Illinois, Washington, D.C., Alabama and Georgia.