On Wednesday, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed announced the appointment of Chip Hill as his Chief of Staff. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, Hill will be coordinating with retiring Chief of Staff Mac McLeod and will assume full duties of the office on March 1.
“I am excited that Chip Hill has agreed to join my administration as my Chief of Staff, said Reed. “I’ve known and worked with Chip for more than ten years and he has been an invaluable advisor to me, just as he has been for past governors and lieutenant governors. He brings a vast array of business, community development, and political experience to the job and I have absolutely no doubt that his service will be an asset to the citizens of Montgomery.”
A close advisor to Reed for more than a decade, the two began working together in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office in 2008, during which time Hill served as the Director of External Affairs. In addition to his public service, as a staff consultant for Matrix, LLC for the last ten years and through his firm, Hill Strategies, Hill held organizational, lobbying and communications roles in several high profile statewide legislative initiatives, and numerous municipal, county and state political activities.
“I am honored to have been asked to serve Mayor Reed as Chief of Staff,” said Hill. “I know the Mayor very well, and I believe in him and his vision for Montgomery. I look forward to working closely with Mayor Reed at this pivotal time in our city’s history.” Hill further stated, “He and I have a substantial and successful track record of working together to get things done. I’ve begun working with current Chief of Staff Mac McLeod and he and the entire staff in the Mayor’s office could not be any more cooperative and helpful as we begin this transition.”
“We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mac McLeod, both for his guidance during our transition and his tenure as a City staffer since 2013. His community service while in the private sector also boosted Montgomery. As he and Kathie embark on more visits to their grandchildren and other forms of leisure, we wish them well,” said Mayor Reed.
Hill began his professional career in broadcasting before moving into community and economic development roles for Chambers of Commerce in Mobile and Jefferson County from 1988-1994. He then served as Director of Governmental Affairs for Bessemer State Technical College in the two year college system from 1994-1996.
Hill, 54 attended Goodwyn Jr. High School and Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery. An All-Region second baseman at Lee, upon graduation he signed a baseball scholarship with Wallace Community College in Andalusia. He completed his B.A. in Political Science at the University of South Alabama and later attended the Graduate School of Political Science at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
A former U.S. Army Reservist, Hill is married to Robin Jenkins Hill, an electrical engineer at Alabama Power for over 35 years, and presently a Distribution Control Center Supervisor for the company. Robin and Chip have one 16 year old daughter. The Hills are members of Christchurch in Montgomery.
