Dunleavy Chief of Staff Ben Stevens to leave for VP job at ConocoPhillips Alaska
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Feb. 24—JUNEAU — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy's chief of staff, Ben Stevens, is leaving the administration to take a job with ConocoPhillips Alaska, the governor's office said in a written statement Wednesday morning.
Stevens will become vice president of external affairs and transportation at ConocoPhillips Alaska, the announcement said, and his last day will be announced soon.
ConocoPhillips Alaska spokeswoman Natalie Lowman said Stevens will start his new job Monday. ConocoPhillips is the largest oil producer in Alaska.
"Ben's job responsibilities will include government relations, village outreach, community investment, media and advertising, and management of ConocoPhillips Alaska's pipeline business including its interest in (the trans-Alaska pipeline). We welcome Ben to ConocoPhillips Alaska and believe he will be a valuable addition to the Alaska business unit leadership team," she said by email.
Stevens will be replaced on an acting basis by Deputy Chief of Staff Randy Ruaro, the governor's office said.
Stevens has worked in the Dunleavy administration since December 2018. First working as a policy adviser, he became the governor's top aide in July 2019, replacing Tuckerman Babcock.
Under Stevens' tenure, the governor's administration shifted: Its proposed budgets lack the steep cuts that prompted the creation of a recall campaign against the governor. Office of Management and Budget director Donna Arduin was replaced, and the state's revenue commissioner also left the administration.
During a texting scandal that led to the resignation of Attorney General Kevin Clarkson, Stevens advised a state employee to keep quiet about the issue.
A former president of the Alaska Senate, Stevens left office following the Veco scandal. He was never accused of a crime, but he collected more than $240,000 in consulting fees from Veco for unspecified work during his six years in the Senate, and during a 2007 trial, a Veco vice president testified that he had bribed Stevens and another senator.
Before joining the Dunleavy administration, Stevens held a variety of roles in private industry, including president of Cook Inlet Tug and Barge.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
