Attorney General-Elect Jay Jones Announces Senior Staff

The Hampton Roads Messenger
Staff

Norfolk, VA – Today, Attorney General-Elect Jay Jones announced the senior leadership team that will guide the Office of the Attorney General when he takes office in January: Tillman Breckenridge will serve as Solicitor General, Travis Hill as Chief Deputy Attorney General, and Nicky Zamostny as Chief of Staff. These leaders are experienced, respected legal experts and public servants who will work with the Attorney General-Elect to keep communities safe, protect Virginia jobs, and defend Virginians’ fundamental rights.
“This is an exceptional group of public servants who bring integrity, experience, and a deep commitment to delivering results for Virginians,” said Attorney General-Elect Jones. “They reflect the strength and diversity of the Commonwealth, and together, we will build an Attorney General’s office that stands up for every Virginian. I look forward to getting to work to ensure this office keeps communities safe, defends fundamental rights, and puts Virginia first.” 
Tillman Breckenridge, Solicitor General
Breckenridge will be the first African-American Solicitor General in Virginia’s history
Tillman Breckenridge is an experienced appellate lawyer and partner at Stris & Maher. In 2018, he became the youngest fellow ever—and the first under 40—elected to the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Tillman has represented companies, organizations, individuals, and foreign, state, and local governments before the United States Supreme Court, every federal court of appeals, and several state courts, such as the Supreme Court of Virginia, the California Courts of Appeal, and the Illinois Courts of Appeal. His work has led to numerous honors. He has been named to Savoy Magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers in America; an honorary member of the Order of the Barristers; a Washington, D.C. SuperLawyer; and a member of Virginia’s Legal Elite. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Outside of his private practice, Tillman has served as an adjunct professor of law at William and Mary Law School, where he founded the Appellate & Supreme Court Clinic. And he regularly speaks on appellate and related topics. He is a member of the Virginia Advisory Committee on Rules of Court. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. And he is a member of the Boyd-Graves Conference. Tillman earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he argued (successfully) his first appeal as a third-year student in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in a case that presented an issue of first impression. 
Travis Hill, Chief Deputy Attorney General 
Since February 2024, Travis Hill has served as counsel in the Global Economic Development, Commerce and Government Relations Group of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Richmond. Hill’s prior public service includes almost a decade as head of Virginia ABC. He was appointed COO of the agency in 2014 by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and led the multiyear effort to transform ABC from a state agency to an authority. He was appointed as CEO by Gov. Ralph Northam in 2018 and reappointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022. Hill’s roles had him at the helm of the complex retail and regulatory organization that generated billions of dollars of revenue with 399 retail locations, 8 regional offices and over 4,600 teammates, including more than 100 sworn law enforcement officers who regulated over 20,000 licensed businesses. During his time at ABC, Hill worked with the ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement to align priorities on public safety and enhance the professional standing of the Bureau, resulting in ABC achieving and maintaining accreditation from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission since 2015 and earning Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency of the Year from the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association in 2018 and 2021. Prior to his time at ABC, Hill served as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry under Gov. Bob McDonnell and Gov. McAuliffe where he conceptualized and implemented new strategies and programs focused on economic development and served as the primary point of contact on management and regulatory issues involving assigned agencies. Prior to entering public service, he worked as an attorney in the Richmond office of the law firm Williams Mullen. He has held leadership positions with industry and professional organizations including service as president of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, as a member of the Virginia Bar Association Board of Governors, and chair of the Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. He was named to the Virginia Business Virginia 500 Power List each year from 2020-2023.  Travis earned his J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nicky Zamostny, Chief of Staff
Nicky Zamostny has served as the President of Riverside Strategies, a Richmond-based government affairs firm since November 2021. Prior to launching her consulting firm, Nicky served two Virginia governors, including as Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security under Governor Ralph Northam and as Assistant Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security under Governor Terry McAuliffe. During her tenure in both administrations, Nicky led and supported numerous high-profile initiatives. Notably, she served as the director of the task force established following the deadly Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, VA, which developed nationwide best practices for incidents of civil unrest. She also helped to pass a bipartisan gun violence prevention compromise, supported the implementation of a statewide school safety study and subsequent reforms, and worked to pass bipartisan criminal justice reforms. Nicky grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.