House Speaker Crisanta Duran named longtime advisor Kelly Watkins to be chief of staff, House Democrats announced Tuesday.

“No one in Colorado state government works harder and smarter than Kelly,” Duran said in a statement. “We make a good team, and I am thrilled to have her take on this lead role as we head into the 2018 session.”

Watkins has been been a staffer at the state Capitol since 2011, when she began work as a legislative aide to Duran during the Denver Democrat’s first term. Over the years, she’s held the positions of policy assistant, legislative director and deputy chief of staff and served as chief of staff last year for Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst after the regular session. This year, Watkins has been chief advisor to Duran, who took the gavel in January after Hullinghorst faced term limits, working with chief of staff David Oppenheim.

ProgressNow Colorado Executive Director Ian Silverii had high praise for Watkins, who worked as his deputy when he was the House Democrats’ chief of staff, calling her the best person in Colorado for the job “without exception.”

“Kelly Watkins is simply a brilliant strategic mind,” Silverii told Colorado Politics. “Her dedication to Colorado values is unwavering, her wit is razor-sharp, and her understanding of Colorado politics and policy is of the absolute highest order.”

“I’m grateful for the confidence Speaker Duran has shown in me with this appointment and throughout my years at the Capitol,” Watkins said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with our wonderful House majority caucus members and staff in this new role.”