Politics
Providence Mayor-elect Morales Taps Jennifer Wood as Chief of Staff, Krystle Lindberg as CFO
Mayor-elect David Morales announced Monday that Jennifer Wood, who led the Rhode Island Center for Justice, will serve as his chief of staff, while deputy finance director Krystle Lindberg will become the city's next chief financial officer.
PROVIDENCE â Mayor-elect David Morales moved to fill two of the most consequential posts in his incoming administration on Monday, naming Jennifer Wood as his chief of staff and Krystle Lindberg as the city's next chief financial officer.
The transition team announced the appointments in a statement, positioning the picks as a down payment on Morales's campaign pledge to make Providence a place where working families can afford to live.
Wood has led the Rhode Island Center for Justice, a nonprofit law organization that provides legal representation to low-income residents and has been involved in housing, environmental and civil rights litigation. Morales said her background in advocacy made her the right fit for the top staff job at City Hall.
"We ran on a promise to make Providence a city that working families can afford and feel safe calling home," Morales said. "I asked Jenn to serve as my Chief of Staff because she has spent her career fighting for the very people we are determined to serve."
Lindberg brings institutional knowledge to the finance office. She has worked in the city's finance department since 2015 and was promoted to deputy finance director in 2020, giving her a decade of experience inside the machinery that manages Providence's budget, payroll and fiscal reporting.
She will inherit oversight of a finance department that has faced persistent pressure in recent years, with the city navigating tight budgets, state oversight of its finances and the challenge of funding core services while keeping property taxes in check. The CFO role is among the most closely watched in city government because it shapes the annual budget and the city's relationship with bond rating agencies and state regulators.
The two appointments come as Morales assembles his administration ahead of taking office. The chief of staff and CFO positions are typically among the first named by an incoming mayor because they set the tone for how the office operates and how the city manages its money.
Wood's selection signals an emphasis on legal advocacy and community engagement in the mayor's office, while Lindberg's promotion suggests continuity in the finance department rather than an outside shakeup.
Morales, who won the mayor's race earlier this year, has promised to focus on affordability, public safety and making city government more responsive to residents. The appointments announced Monday are the first major personnel decisions of his transition.