A governor has a high-profile position in state government, but at the end of the day, he or she can't accomplish much without a staff working to push the governor's policies and make constituents' lives better.
In each state, the governor has a staff of interns, attorneys, analysts, finance experts and other people who specialize in a specific area of policy.
Each governor has a wide variety of organizations in the state's executive branch. These can include budget analysis, homeland security, constituent services, legal counsel, and a press office to field inquiries from the news media and open records requests from citizens. The governor's office can also include special commissions that focus on elderly people, drugs, women's issues and any number of other interests.
Often, the governor's office can include an office for the first lady (if there is one) to manage her appearances and initiatives. The governor's staff can oversee historical commissions and even commissions to bring the film industry to the state, for example. Again, these offices vary from state to state, but the aim is the same: to aid citizens and promote the state's economic well-being.
On the next page, we'll look at the history of state governors' offices, and how the name "governor" itself dates back to colonial America.