Gov.-elect Ralph Northam announced in December that he had appointed Carter Hutchinson, a 2010 Hampden-Sydney College graduate, as his deputy policy director.

The announcement came amid a series of appointments made by Northam to the Governor’s Office and Cabinet.

“It is an honor to be given the opportunity to serve the commonwealth,” Hutchinson said.

He will play an important role in advising and assisting Northam.

“As deputy policy director, I will help ensure the governor has all the information he needs to make decisions relating to policies in my portfolio,” Hutchinson said. “I’ll help ensure he is duly briefed for meetings and events with outside stakeholders with an interest in my portfolio, and I will help coordinate the policy-making process, including legislative recommendations, for the secretariats in my portfolio.”

A press release from the Office of Gov.-elect Northam noted that Hutchinson presently serves as policy lead on Northam’s transition team.

“Prior to that, he served as research director and policy lead on Governor-Elect Northam’s gubernatorial campaign,” officials said in the release. “Carter has previously held roles on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign (and) the campaigns of Governor Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. He worked for the Virginia League of Conservation Voters and the Shenandoah Valley Network before that.”

The release added that Hutchinson, who grew up in Staunton, lives in Richmond.

He received his bachelor’s degree in history at Hampden-Sydney.

As for what led him to attend the school, he said, “Friends from growing up went there, and the small class sizes helped make me a better student.”

His education at Hampden-Sydney equipped him with not only academic knowledge, but it offered key practical insights as well.

“The most valuable thing I learned in college was that you can work hard and still have a good time with your friends while doing it,” he said.

Northam officially takes office Saturday, Jan. 13, becoming Virginia’s 73rd governor.