Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin filled three high-level position vacancies in state government on Friday, including the Virginia Lottery.
The governor appointed Khalid Jones, an investment entrepreneur and securities litigator, to lead the Lottery, a semi-independent agency that generates revenue for public education in the state budget.
Jones, who also has served as a consultant to lottery systems across the country, is replacing Kelly Gee, now secretary of the Commonwealth.
Tony R. Russell was appointed interim lottery director in September 2023. In addition to managing lottery ticket sales, the agency has oversight of the state’s casino industry.
Jones, who started as lottery director this month, according to his LinkedIn page, was previously a partner at All American Licensing, a sports and entertainment branding, marketing and licensing firm based in New York and Los Angeles, and before that, at The Koller Group and SourceRock Partners.
He also served as general counsel for SourceRock and co-founded hedge fund Thrasher Funds, as well as serving as an associate at several law firms focusing on securities enforcement and intellectual property, reports Virginia Business.
Jones also helped start an esports team, Echo Fox, with NBA star Rick Fox that has since disbanded. He has degrees from Wake Forest University and Stanford University’s law school.
According to Friday’s announcement, Jones “has become one of the nation’s experts in licensing consulting, providing legal and strategic advice to state and national lottery organizations, [and] providing the expertise to lead Virginia’s lottery system at a crucial time of growth and expansion.”
Youngkin also named James Alex, an executive at a global accounting firm, as tax commissioner to succeed Craig Burns. Finally, Youngkin named Robert Ward as Chief Transformation Officer, replacing Eric Moeller, who resigned earlier this year after two years in a job that the governor created to improve operations of state agencies.
“It’s remarkable to welcome such distinguished professionals to our team who are committed to enacting meaningful and lasting change across the commonwealth,” the Gov. said in a statement. “Their experience and expertise will help us build on the progress we’ve made in our first two years and continue to better serve Virginians.”