Bill Leighty

William H. “Bill” Leighty (born July 1, 1953) is a prominent figure in Virginia State Government. Leighty served as Chief of Staff to Governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. He also served as Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, and Director of the Virginia Retirement System. 
==Early Life and Education==
Bill Leighty’s career in public service first began when he entered the Marine Corps right out of high school. Through the military, he trained to become a computer repairman, attending technical school in Twentynine Palms, California. Leighty was then stationed in Quantico, Virginia, where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant in less than four years.
Upon completion of his enlistment, he attended Mary Washington College, now the University of Mary Washington. There he earned a bachelor’s degree and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He simultaneously was enrolled in an MBA program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Leighty graduated from both institutions in June 1978.
==Career of Public Service==
Leighty’s career in Virginia State Government started at the Virginia Department of Taxation as a research economist. He was eventually hired in Virginia's Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, where he worked alongside and was mentored by the committee’s Chair, Senator Edward Willey.
In 1986, Governor Gerald Baliles appointed Bill Leighty as Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. As Deputy Secretary, he helped to secure a significant tax increase for transportation expenditures, creating a reliable funding source for public transit, airports, and sea ports. He also brokered the agreement to bring the Virginia Railway Express to Northern Virginia.
After his tenure as Deputy Secretary, he served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. With the election of Republican Governor George Allen, Leighty was nominated to work on Governor Allen’s Blue Ribbon Commission to Reform State Government, also referred to as “Strike Force”. The Commission sought to reduce waste and reform inefficiencies from within the Virginia State Government.
In 1995, Leighty was appointed the Director of the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). At the time of his appointment, VRS was struggling with its public image, due to an on-going federal investigation. As Director, it was Leighty’s responsibility to repair the agency’s image and improve its financial standing. By the end of his service as Director, the agency’s assets had grown from $14 billion to $35 billion.
===Chief of Staff to Governor Mark Warner===
Leighty served as Chief of Staff to Governor Mark Warner from 2002 to 2006. During his tenure, he navigated Virginia through multiple crises and natural disasters. In 2002 the DC Beltway Sniper became a threat to public safety along the I-95 Corridor from Ashland, VA to Baltimore, MD. Leighty was responsible for coordinating Virginia’s response in cooperation with Maryland, DC, and federal agencies. In 2003 Hurricane Isabel brought destruction to Central and Southern Virginia. Leighty oversaw activities at Virginia’s Emergency Operations Center and served as a point of contact for local officials and emergency response officials. Two years later, Leighty used his prior experience with disaster relief leadership when he was loaned to Governor Blanco of Louisiana in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He helped to establish communication channels and coordinate efforts between federal, state, and local partners. 
===Chief of Staff to Governor Tim Kaine===
Leighty continued his role of Chief of Staff under Governor Tim Kaine, from 2006 to 2007. In 2007, Leighty initiated the immediate response to the Virginia Tech Mass Shooting. With Governor Kaine on a trade mission trip abroad, Leighty led the Governor’s Office response and distribution of information as the Governor traveled back to Virginia. Three weeks later, he oversaw the efforts to welcome Queen Elizabeth II to Virginia as part of the 400 Year Anniversary of the Settlement of Jamestown. During the Queen’s visit, Leighty served as ‘Chief Protocol Officer,’ acting as a liaison between Virginia and the United Kingdom. Leighty was entrusted by Governor Kaine to find a suitable gift for the Queen. With help from the Library of Virginia, Leighty acquired a historic copy of Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on Virginia.
==Retirement from Public Service==
In 2007, Leighty announced his retirement, thus ending his decades long career as a public servant in Virginia. Immediately following his retirement, Leighty was recruited to lobby the federal government on behalf of the Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life (VITAL), who were seeking federal recognition. After a ten year long battle, Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017 passed and signed into law.
In 2023, Leighty released a memoir called Capitol Secrets: Leadership Wisdom from a Lifetime of Public Service. The book recounts his experiences in Virginia State Government and the important lessons learned throughout his nearly 30 year-long career in public service.
Category:1953 births
Category:Chiefs of staff
Category:Public safety
Category:Directors