Pittsburgh attorney previously worked as Corbett’s first deputy

Gov.-elect Tom Corbett named William F. Ward as his chief of staff Wednesday.

The 59-year-old Pittsburgh resident is a member of the law firm Ward McGough, LLC, and serves as Solicitor for the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board. Mr. Ward will replace Brian Nutt, Mr. Corbett’s current chief of staff, after Mr. Corbett is sworn in Jan. 18. Mr. Nutt is leaving after the inauguration to open a Harrisburg media consulting firm.

Since 2003, Mr. Ward contributed $1,700 to Mr. Corbett’s election campaigns.

He has also served as Chairman on the Board of Probation and Parole and served as a council member for the Allegheny County Bar Association and as the Chairman of the Federal Court Council. Mr. Ward was also Mr. Corbett’s First Deputy Attorney General while Mr. Corbett served as Attorney General, and has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for seven years.

“He is a skilled lawyer and a man of unquestioned integrity,” Mr. Corbett said. “Bill’s proven management skills as a prosecutor, agency head and private attorney make him well-suited for the position of chief of staff.”

Mr. Ward will leave his job at Ward McGough, including one his clients, Rachel Manzo, a defendant in the Bonusgate trials launched by Mr. Corbett and the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Manzo pled guilty to one count of first-degree misdemeanor as part of a deal negotiated by Mr. Ward, down from the 12 counts she was originally charged with.

Mr. Ward was also Chief of the Economic Crimes Section.