by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
July 13, 2026
The director of Washington’s Department of Enterprise Services went on leave last week, but no one in the agency or the governor’s office is saying why or for how long.
Matt Jones was appointed to the top post a year ago and is a member of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s executive cabinet. The department manages state facilities, among other duties. It has more than 900 employees, a $280 million operating budget, and a $1.2 billion capital program, according to the agency’s website.
“I am writing to let you know that director Matt Jones is out of the office for the near future. During that time, I will be serving as interim director,” Chief Operations Officer Jo Aiken wrote in a memo to agency employees on July 9.
A spokeswoman for the governor declined to comment Monday.
“Our office is aware, but DES would be the best source for specific details,” Communications Director Brionna Aho said in an email sent after 5 p.m.
Emilie Brown, communications director for the agency, said Jones had “taken leave.”
“We do not know a return date at this time. There have been no allegations or evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” she said in an email that arrived a minute after Aho’s.
Neither Brown nor Aho answered questions on what role Ferguson might have played ahead of the announcement to employees.
Jones began his state career at the Department of General Administration in 2006 and has been with the Department of Enterprise Services since it was formed in 2011. He guided the Capitol Campus and Visitor Services Division for seven years before being named interim chief operations officer in October 2024, according to the agency.
Ferguson named Jones acting director of the department on Jan. 12, 2025, appointing him to the top post last July.
The department manages the Capitol campus and various construction projects. It also houses services such as risk management, printing and mailing, workforce support, and parking, and is a hub for purchases by other agencies.
If Jones doesn’t return, he won’t be the first cabinet member to leave since Ferguson took office in January 2025.
Last month, Tim Reynon resigned as executive director of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs following his election to the Tribal Council of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
Two months earlier, Jaime Martin quit as external relations director to take a job with a Seattle law firm.
In January this year, Joe Nguyen left as director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce to become the new leader of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Ferguson has not filled that post permanently yet.
Those exits followed a tumultuous first few months in office for Ferguson.
Legislative Director Joyce Bruce resigned in March 2025, as did her deputy, Shawn Lewis. Soon after they departed, Mike Webb, Ferguson’s longtime political confidante and chief strategy officer, resigned amid allegations he’d created a hostile work environment.
In July 2025, policy director Sahar Fathi took an extended leave, returning in January to a newly created post of chief impact officer and a higher salary.
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