Melissa Hoffer, the state’s first-ever climate chief, has accepted a job as president of Vermont Law and Graduate School, marking her the ninth administrator to leave the executive office since Gov. Maura Healey began her term in January 2023.
The college, which announced the news Thursday, says Hoffer will oversee the school’s academic programs, which puts an exclusive focus on professional legal education and graduate public policy programs.
“I am honored and thrilled to join Vermont Law and Graduate School as its next president. VLGS has long been a national leader in environmental and public interest law, and the institution is uniquely positioned to lead in this time of momentous and intersecting challenges,” Hoffer said in a written statement.
Hoffer will begin her new role on December 1.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Massachusetts’—and the nation’s—first cabinet level Climate Chief, and to make our whole-of-government approach a successful model for other states and local governments,” Hoffer said.
Hoffer marks the ninth cabinet member to leave the Healey-Driscoll administration in its first term.
Most recently, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus left the administration in February to accept a position as CEO of UniBank. Just weeks prior, in early February, Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler resigned to accept a new role as president and CEO of the Needham-based nonprofit Walker Therapeutic and Educational Programs.
Former Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits Nutt resigned last October following a deeply troubled process to award a new operator of the state’s highway service plazas that year. MassDOT had awarded a 35-year contract to Applegreen, which subsequently backed out amid conflict of interest allegations, forcing the process to start over.
Despite the dramatic exit, Healey kept Tibbits-Nutt on the payroll in a senior advisory role.
Just a month before Tibbits-Nutt resigned, Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy retired from his position. Reidy had served in his role since being appointed by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2021.
In August 2025, Veterans Services Secretary John Santiago announced that he was leaving the administration after more than two years in the role. In July of that year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh left her position to transition into a role as senior advisor to Healey. In April 2025, Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao stepped down to address pressing family matters.
Former Transportation Secretary GIna Fiandaca unexpectedly stepped down in September 2023. She remained on the payroll as a senior advisor to Healey for the remainder of the year before leaving state government entirely.
Healey appointed Hoffer as the state’s first-ever Climate Chief, the first position of its kind in all of the U.S., on January 6, 2023 — the first full day of her administration.
“When I created the nation’s first cabinet-level Climate Chief position, I knew we needed someone with the expertise, determination and vision to make climate action a whole-of-government priority — and Melissa delivered on that mission,” said Healey.
“I am thrilled that she will be taking her expertise and commitment to the next generation of leaders as the president of Vermont Law and Graduate School,” Healey continued.
Prior to serving in the Healey administration, Hoffer served in the Biden administration as Acting General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency. She led the EPA’s Office of General Counsel through the transition until November 2021, and continued to serve as Principal Deputy General Counsel.
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