Although Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is on a European holiday, his office announced on Wednesday the appointment of a former staff member of the late Sen. John McCain, Michelle Shipley, as his new Senior Advisor for Community Engagement and Initiatives.
Shipley served as McCain’s Deputy State Director from 2011 to 2016 and State Director from 2016 until his death in August 2018.
Most recently, Shipley served as Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff at Arizona State University Enterprise Partners. ASU Enterprise Partners “serves as the resource-raising arm of Arizona State University. It is “the parent organization of five nonprofits that are each tasked with identifying new revenue opportunities.”
With a termed-out Ducey entertaining the idea of jumping into the U.S. Senate race, bringing another cog in the “McCain Machine” onboard is considered a savvy move by Capitol insiders.
In her new role, Shipley will essentially serve as a lobbyist for Ducey, engaging “community members and stakeholders in advocacy for various public policy areas, including education, tax reform, public safety and government accountability.”