SEATTLE-Former Washington State official Tom Fitzsimmons has been named chief executive of Lorig, a locally based developer with a track record for planning and building community-scale projects.

The new post is a big change for Fitzsimmons who served as chief of staff to two Washington governors, Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke. Prior to those roles, he served as director of the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Fitzsimmons says he sees his public sector experience as an asset for the developer. “I came from the governor’s office to this position with the aspiration to work in on the private side, and help bridge the gap between public and private sectors,” he says.