New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer has named Vanessa Phillips as chief administrative officer of the county.

Phillips has served in the the role in an acting capacity since Kathy Jennings left in January. The position serves as a second-in-command to the county executive.

"Vanessa is extraordinary," Meyer said. "She has done a great job in the past year.  Following an extensive search, we have chosen Vanessa to lead our county government forward, creating job opportunities across our county and delivering the highest quality government services."

Phillips is a former Washington, D.C. prosecutor and director of administration for the Delaware Department of Labor.

"I am honored that County Executive Meyer chose me to help lead an exceptional management team and to work with more than 2,000 committed public servants across county government who work around the clock to keep our communities safe, improve the quality of life and provide critical public services," Phillips said.  "I am committed to leveraging our resources, along with the knowledge and talent of our people, to make county government more honest, transparent and efficient."