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Jeff Zients

From Alfawiki
Jeffrey Zients
Born
Jeffrey Dunston Zients

(1966-11-12) November 12, 1966 (age 59)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation(s)Corporate leader, government official
Years active1990s–present
Known for31st White House Chief of Staff; White House coronavirus response coordinator; Director of the National Economic Council; Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget; CEO of Cranemere; Facebook board member
Notable workHealthcare.gov recovery leadership

Jeffrey Dunston Zients (; born November 12, 1966) is an American corporate leader and former government official who held the position of the 31st White House chief of staff from February 2023 to January 2025 during Joe Biden's presidency. Prior to this role, he acted as counselor to the president and White House coronavirus response coordinator from January 2021 through April 2022 within the Biden administration.

Under President Barack Obama, Zients directed the National Economic Council from 2014 until 2017, served twice as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2010 and again between 2012 and 2013, and spearheaded the critical recovery operation for healthcare.gov following its problematic rollout under the Affordable Care Act.

Before entering public service, Zients occupied executive roles at companies such as the Advisory Board Company and CEB. He joined Biden's team after stepping down as CEO of Cranemere, a private investment firm. Additionally, Zients was a member of the board of directors at Facebook from 2018 until 2020.

Early life and education

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Kensington, Maryland, Zients comes from a Jewish family background. He completed his secondary education at the St. Albans School in 1984 before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University, graduating with summa cum laude honors in 1988.

Early business career

Following his graduation, Zients embarked on a career in management consulting with Mercer Management Consulting (currently known as Oliver Wyman) and later with Bain & Company, where he valued the emphasis on “culture, teamwork … and analytical rigor.” He subsequently became chief operating officer at DGB Enterprises, a holding entity overseeing the Advisory Board Company, Corporate Executive Board, and Atlantic Media Company.

At age 35, Zients earned recognition on Fortune Magazine's "40 under 40" list, with an estimated net worth of $149 million.

Advisory board and corporate executive board

Zients held multiple leadership roles at the Advisory Board Company: chief operating officer (1996–1998), chief executive officer (1998–2000), and chairman (2001–2004). He also served as chairman of the Corporate Executive Board from 2000 to 2001. Alongside David G. Bradley, he guided both organizations through their initial public offerings, achieving multimillionaire status for each.[1]

Portfolio Logic

As founder and manager of Portfolio Logic LLC, an investment firm concentrating on healthcare and business services,[1] Zients also held board memberships with XM Satellite Radio up until its merger in 2008, as well as with Sirius XM Radio until his Senate confirmation.[2]<ref>Zients additionally served on boards for Revolution Health Group and Timbuk2 Designs.[3]

Baseball

In 2005, Zients became part of a consortium including Colin Powell and Fred Malek that attempted to acquire the Washington Nationals.[4][5] The plan envisioned Malek acting as managing partner initially, with Zients taking over after three years.[5] However, this bid was unsuccessful; ownership ultimately went to a group led by Ted Lerner.[1]

Office of Management and Budget

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Zients as the United States chief performance officer and deputy director for management (DDM) at the Office of Management and Budget, marking his initial entry into government service.

Entrusted by Obama to enhance efficiency, reduce expenditures, and apply best practices throughout federal agencies, Zients's nomination received Senate approval in June 2009. During his tenure as DDM, he founded and led the President's Management Council.

Zients twice assumed the role of acting OMB director: first from July to November 2010, and later from January 2012 until April 2013.

Healthcare.gov

Following the troubled debut of HealthCare.gov on October 1, 2013, President Obama alongside White House chief of staff Denis McDonough appointed Zients to oversee the website’s recovery efforts. While spearheading this "tech surge," Zients maintained an ownership interest in PSA Healthcare, a pediatric home health provider; the White House concluded this did not constitute a conflict of interest.

National Economic Council

Between 2014 and 2017, Zients held the positions of assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council (NEC). Additionally, he chaired the President's Management Advisory Board. The Wall Street Journal referred to him as "a kind of ambassador to the business community," with organizations such as the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce praising his active engagement with corporate leaders.

At the NEC, Zients worked closely with the United States Department of Labor to implement the fiduciary rule, which required financial advisers to prioritize their clients’ best interests. Despite strong resistance from Wall Street and business organizations, this regulation was ultimately overturned by a federal appeals court in 2018.

In 2015, Zients described the Trans-Pacific Partnership as "a massive tax cut for American businesses," emphasizing its significant economic benefits.

Facebook

In 2018, following the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Zients joined Facebook’s board of directors. During his board service, he chaired the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee. He opted not to run for re-election in 2020 to concentrate on his other business and professional pursuits. For his role on Facebook’s audit committee, Zients earned $100,000 in cash plus approximately $300,000 in stock compensation. By December 2020, he had reportedly divested all his Facebook shares.

In December 2024, Facebook shareholders sought sanctions against Zients related to the Cambridge Analytica incident, accusing him of deleting emails pertinent to a 2018 shareholder lawsuit and thereby breaching a litigation hold. However, in January 2025, the Delaware Chancery Court vice chancellor denied these sanctions against Zients, noting that his communications were "less pertinent" given that he joined the board after the scandal occurred.

Cranemere

Zients served as CEO of Cranemere, a Wall Street investment firm owned by Vincent Mai, where he earned a total compensation package—including salary and bonus—of $1.6 million. As of December 2020, he was on leave from this position. He also invested in Call Your Mother, a bagel deli startup based in Washington, D.C.

Biden administration

During the summer of 2020, Politico disclosed that the communications company Saguaro Strategies made significant edits to Zients's Wikipedia page as his prominence grew within the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. Notably, revisions portrayed his endorsement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as "the most progressive trade agreement there’s ever been," while omitting critical perspectives and political connections.

By October 2020, Zients had taken on the role of co-chair for the presidential transition of Joe Biden and was acknowledged as a pivotal member of the transition team, being considered for multiple positions within the incoming administration. On December 7, 2020, he was appointed as the coordinator for the COVID-19 response and counselor to the president. With no fully developed vaccine distribution strategy available during the Trump-Biden handover, Zients focused on creating one following Biden’s inauguration.

In July 2021, Zients encountered backlash over postponing the relaxation of travel restrictions between the United States and Europe. In March 2022, he declared his exit from the administration, with Ashish Jha succeeding him as Coronavirus Response Coordinator.

In July 2022, Zients became the subject of an antisemitic conspiracy flyer circulated in Australia that falsely accused Jewish individuals of orchestrating a COVID "agenda."

On January 22, 2023, reports announced that Zients would succeed Ron Klain as White House chief of staff. He officially took office on February 8, 2023, shortly after President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address.

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