Jeff Zients

{{Short description|White House Chief of Staff from 2023 to 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jeff Zients

| image = Jeff Zients, WHCOS (cropped).jpg

| alt = Zients in 2023

| order = 31st White House Chief of Staff

| president = Joe Biden

| deputy = {{Plain list|

| term_start = February 8, 2023

| term_end = January 20, 2025

| predecessor = Ron Klain

| successor = Susie Wiles

| office1 = Counselor to the President

| president1 = Joe Biden

| alongside1 = Steve Ricchetti

| term_start1 = January 20, 2021

| term_end1 = April 5, 2022

| predecessor1 = Hope Hicks
Derek Lyons

| successor1 =

| office2 = White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator

| president2 = Joe Biden

| term_start2 = January 20, 2021

| term_end2 = April 5, 2022

| predecessor2 = Deborah Birx

| successor2 = Ashish Jha

| deputy2 = Natalie Quillian

| office3 = 10th Director of the National Economic Council

| president3 = Barack Obama

| term_start3 = March 5, 2014

| term_end3 = January 20, 2017

| predecessor3 = Gene Sperling

| successor3 = Gary Cohn

| order4 = Director of the Office of Management and Budget

| status4 = Acting

| president4 = Barack Obama

| deputy4 = Heather Higginbottom

| term_start4 = January 27, 2012

| term_end4 = April 24, 2013

| predecessor4 = Jack Lew

| successor4 = Sylvia Mathews Burwell

| president5 = Barack Obama

| deputy5 = Jeffrey Liebman

| term_start5 = July 30, 2010

| term_end5 = November 18, 2010

| predecessor5 = Peter R. Orszag

| successor5 = Jack Lew

| office6 = 1st Chief Performance Officer of the United States

| president6 = Barack Obama

| term_start6 = June 19, 2009

| term_end6 = October 16, 2013

| predecessor6 = Position established

| successor6 = Beth Cobert

| office7 = Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget for Management

| president7 = Barack Obama

| term_start7 = June 19, 2009

| term_end7 = October 16, 2013

| predecessor7 = Clay Johnson III

| successor7 = Beth Cobert

| birth_name = Jeffrey Dunston Zients

| birth_date = {{nowrap|{{birth date and age|1966|11|12}}}}

| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic

| spouse = Mary Menell

| education = Duke University (BA)

| caption = Official portrait, 2023

}}

Jeffrey Dunston Zients ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|z|aɪ|ə|n|t|s}}; born November 12, 1966) is an American business executive and former government official who served as the 31st White House chief of staff from February 2023 to January 2025 under U.S. president Joe Biden. Earlier in the Biden administration, he served as counselor to the president and White House coronavirus response coordinator from January 2021 to April 2022.{{Cite news |title=Jeff Zients to be Biden's next chief of staff |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/22/jeff-zients-biden-chief-of-staff/ |access-date=2023-01-22 |date=January 22, 2023|author1=Tyler Pager|author2=Yasmeen Abutaleb}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/22/politics/jeff-zients-white-house-chief-of-staff/index.html|title=Jeff Zients to replace Ron Klain as White House chief of staff|website=CNN|date=January 22, 2023|author1=Phil Mattingly|author2=Kaitlan Collins|access-date=January 22, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-tap-former-covid-czar-jeff-zients-new-chief-staff-report|title=Biden to tap former COVID czar Jeff Zients as new chief of staff|website=Fox News|date=January 22, 2023|author1=Anders Hagstrom|author2=Brooke Singman|author3=Greg Wehner|access-date=January 22, 2023}}

During the presidency of Barack Obama, Zients served as director of the National Economic Council from February 2014 to January 2017, served as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2010 and from 2012 to 2013, and led the emergency effort to fix healthcare.gov after the troubled launch of that critical component of the Affordable Care Act.

Before entering government, Zients was an executive at firms including the Advisory Board Company and CEB. Zients joined the Biden administration after taking leave from his position as chief executive officer of Cranemere, an investment firm. He was a member of Facebook's board of directors from 2018 to 2020.[http://buildbackbetter.gov/appointees-and-nominees/jeff-zients Jeff Zients – Build Back Better (Biden transition)]

Early life and education

Zients was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Kensington, Maryland.{{cite book|last=United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs|author-link=United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs|url=https://archive.org/details/gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-111shrg51784/page/n151/mode/1up|title=Nominations of Hon. Tara J. O'Toole and Jeffrey D. Zients|date=2009-06-10|page=148|publisher=Government Publishing Office|id=S. Hrg. 111-838}} His family is Jewish.{{cite news | url=http://forward.com/opinion/172080/meet-the-four-jews-shaping-the-us-economy/ | last=Guttman | first=Nathan | work=The Forward | title=Meet the Four Jews Shaping the U.S. Economy | date=February 28, 2013 | access-date=September 3, 2017 | archive-date=September 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903005548/http://forward.com/opinion/172080/meet-the-four-jews-shaping-the-us-economy/ | url-status=live }}{{cite news|last=Shin|first=Annys|title=Zients Is at the Top of His Game|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4258-2004Oct3.html|date=October 4, 2004|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 3, 2017|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084855/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4258-2004Oct3.html|url-status=live}} Zients graduated from the St. Albans School in 1984 and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Duke University,{{Cite news|last=James|first=Frank|date=2013-10-23|title=White House Turns To 'Rock Star' Manager For Obamacare Fix|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/10/23/240283860/white-house-turns-to-rock-star-manager-for-obamacare-fix|access-date=2020-12-04|work=NPR|language=en}} graduating summa cum laude in 1988.{{cite web|title=On the Road highlight: Jeff Zients|url=https://giving.duke.edu/article/on-the-road-highlight-jeff-zients|access-date=2020-12-20|website=Giving to Duke|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Early business career

After college, Zients worked in management consulting for Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman) and Bain & Company. As a consultant, Zients reportedly enjoyed the “culture, teamwork … and analytical rigor".{{Cite news|last=Langley|first=Monica|date=2012-07-13|title=The Businessman Behind the Obama Budget|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303644004577523071816686902|url-status=live|access-date=2020-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904203431/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303644004577523071816686902|archive-date=September 4, 2017|issn=2574-9579|id={{ProQuest|1024777785}}}} After management consulting, he was appointed the chief operating officer of DGB Enterprises, a holding company for the Advisory Board Company, Corporate Executive Board, and Atlantic Media Company.{{cite web|date=June 27, 2003|title=Advisory Board Co. 10-K|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1157377/000095013303002256/w87721e10vk.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704155831/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1157377/0000950133-03-002256.txt|archive-date=July 4, 2017|access-date=2009-04-29|publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}

At age 35, Zients was named to Fortune Magazine's "40 under 40", with an estimated wealth of $149 million.{{cite news |last1=Boorstin |first1=Julia |last2=Freedman |first2=Jonah |last3=Florian |first3=Ellen |last4=Krady |first4=Scott |last5=Levinstein |first5=Joan |last6=Miller |first6=Matthew |last7=Vazquez |first7=Dana |date=June 2002 |title=America's 40 Richest Under 40 |work=CNN |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/09/16/328569/index.htm |accessdate=2010-11-11}}

=Advisory board and corporate executive board=

Zients was the chief operating officer (1996–1998), chief executive officer (1998–2000), and chairman (2001–2004) of the Advisory Board Company and former chairman (2000–2001) of the Corporate Executive Board.{{cite news|title=Obama names Chopra, Zients to top posts|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/13/daily103.html|date=April 17, 2009|work=Washington Business Journal|publisher=Advance Publications|access-date=2009-04-19|archive-date=April 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421020206/http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/13/daily103.html|url-status=live}} Zients and David G. Bradley took each of the companies public through initial public offerings that made both men multimillionaires.{{cite news|last=O'Keefe|first=Ed|date=2009-04-18|title=Who Are Jeffrey Zients and Aneesh Chopra?|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/obama_names_chief_performance.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2009-04-19|archive-date=May 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531075636/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/obama_names_chief_performance.html|url-status=dead}}

=Portfolio Logic=

Zients founded and was the managing partner of Portfolio Logic LLC, an investment firm primarily focused on health care and business services. He was a member of the board of directors of XM Satellite Radio until its 2008 merger, and a board member at Sirius XM Radio until his Senate confirmation.{{cite news|title=Zients Resigns from Sirius XM Board |url=http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1383160&spid=24698 |work=Radio Ink |publisher=MediaSpan |date=June 23, 2009 |access-date=2009-06-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627092009/http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=1383160&spid=24698 |archive-date=June 27, 2009 }} Zients also sat on the boards of Revolution Health Group and Timbuk2 Designs.{{cite news|author=O'Hara, Terence|title=There's More Than Baseball in Jeffrey Zients's Days|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/29/AR2006012900520.html|date=August 31, 2007|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2009-04-19|archive-date=March 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301054035/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/29/AR2006012900520.html|url-status=live}}

=Baseball=

In 2005, Zients formed a group with Colin Powell and Fred Malek, among others, to compete for the purchase of the Washington Nationals.{{cite news|title=Powell Joins Group Bidding On D.C. Baseball Team|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Db8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50|date=June 13, 2005|page=50|work=Jet|publisher=Johnson Publishing|volume=107|issue=24|access-date=2009-04-19}}{{cite news|last1=Heath|first1=Thomas|title=Malek, Zients Are Big Hitters in an All-Star Ownership Lineup|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101668.html|date=April 29, 2009|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2009-04-29|archive-date=October 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015145702/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101668.html|url-status=live}} The group planned for Malek to be the managing partner for the first three years, after which Zients would take over. The group was unsuccessful; the team was purchased by a group led by Ted Lerner.

Obama administration

=Office of Management and Budget=

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Zients to the new position of United States chief performance officer and deputy director for management (DDM) of the Office of Management and Budget.{{Cite news|last1=Stolberg|first1=Sheryl Gay|author-link=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=2009-04-18|title=Obama Promises to Trim Federal Fat|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/us/19address.html|access-date=2020-12-05|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last=Obama |first=Barack |title=(Transcript) Weekly Address: President Obama Discusses Efforts to Reform Spending, Government Waste; Names Chief Performance Officer and Chief Technology Officer |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-discusses-efforts-reform-spending-government-waste-n |date=April 18, 2009 |publisher=The White House |access-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906092025/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-discusses-efforts-reform-spending-government-waste-n |url-status=live }} It was Zients's first governmental experience.{{Cite news|last=Calmes|first=Jackie|date=2013-09-13|title=Ex-White House Aide to Be Economic Adviser|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/politics/ex-white-house-aide-to-be-economic-adviser.html|access-date=2020-12-05|issn=0362-4331}}

According to Obama, his assignment was to help "streamline processes, cut costs, and find best practices throughout" the U.S. government. His nomination was approved by the Senate in June 2009.{{cite news|author=Brodsky, Robert|date=June 22, 2009|url=http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0609/062209rb1.htm|title=Zients confirmed as OMB's deputy director of management|publisher=National Journal Group|work=GovExec.com|access-date=2009-06-22|archive-date=June 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626070523/http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0609/062209rb1.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Meckler|first=Laura|title=Administration Seeks to Target Wasteful Spending|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124002247015831371|date=April 20, 2009|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=2009-04-19|archive-date=September 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904204511/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124002247015831371|url-status=live}} As DDM, Zients established and chaired the President's Management Council.{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Katherine Reynolds |url=http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2010/06/14/OMBs-Zients-Cuts-Through-the-Red-Tape |title=Remaking the Bureaucracy: OMB's Zients Cuts Through the Red Tape |work=The Fiscal Times |date=June 14, 2010 |access-date=September 3, 2017 |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905060637/http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2010/06/14/OMBs-Zients-Cuts-Through-the-Red-Tape |url-status=live }}

Zients was the acting director of OMB from July 2010 to November 2010, and again from January 2012 to April 2013.{{cite news|title=Obama Picks Zients as Director of Economic Council|work=Bloomberg News|last1=Runningen|first1=Roger|date=September 13, 2013|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/zients-said-set-to-replace-sperling-at-white-house-economic-unit.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917034709/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/zients-said-set-to-replace-sperling-at-white-house-economic-unit.html|archive-date=September 17, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Jeffrey Zients to Become Acting Director of OMB|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/jeffrey-zients-to-become-acting-director-of-omb|access-date=2021-09-26|website=ABC News|language=en}}{{cite web|date=2011-01-11|title=Jeffrey Zients|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/jeffrey-zients|access-date=2021-09-26|website=whitehouse.gov|language=en}}

= Healthcare.gov =

Following the error-plagued launch of healthcare.gov on October 1, 2013, Obama and White House chief of staff Denis McDonough asked Zients to take charge of fixing the website.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/us/health-website-tests-a-tycoon-and-tinkerer.html|last=Stolberg|first=Sheryl Gay|author-link=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|work=The New York Times|title=Health Website Tests a Tycoon and Tinkerer|date=November 10, 2013|access-date=September 3, 2017|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905060302/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/us/health-website-tests-a-tycoon-and-tinkerer.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|last=Brill|first=Steven|date=March 10, 2014|title=Obama's Trauma Team: How an unlikely group of high-tech wizards revived Obama's troubled HealthCare.gov website|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2166770-1,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017083850/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2166770-1,00.html|archive-date=October 17, 2017|access-date=September 3, 2017|magazine=Time}}{{cite news|last=Rushe|first=Dominic|date=April 16, 2015|title=Obama appoints Jeffrey Zients to fix healthcare website|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/obama-appoints-jeffrey-zients-healthcare|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904194819/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/obama-appoints-jeffrey-zients-healthcare|archive-date=September 4, 2017|access-date=September 3, 2017|work=The Guardian}}{{cite news|last=Eilperin|first=Juliette|date=December 22, 2013|title=Jeff Zients helped salvage HealthCare.gov. Now he'll be Obama's go-to guy on economy.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeff-zients-helped-salvage-healthcaregov-now-hell-be-obamas-go-to-guy-on-economy/2013/12/22/3ebf38a4-6986-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012084856/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeff-zients-helped-salvage-healthcaregov-now-hell-be-obamas-go-to-guy-on-economy/2013/12/22/3ebf38a4-6986-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html|archive-date=October 12, 2017}} While leading the "tech surge" to do that, Zients also had an ownership position in PSA Healthcare. The position of the White House was that Zients's stake in PSA Healthcare, a pediatric home health business, was not a conflict of interest.

=National Economic Council=

File:Jeffrey Zients speaking at White House press briefing on a possible government shutdown (2011).jpg

From 2014 to 2017, Zients was an assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council (NEC). Zients also chaired the President's Management Advisory Board.{{cite web |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/04/obama_to_take_management_tips.html |title=Tracking High Priority Infrastructure Projects |last=O'Keefe |first=Ed |date=April 19, 2010 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 2, 2017 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213041/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/04/obama_to_take_management_tips.html |url-status=dead }} The Wall Street Journal called Zients "a kind of ambassador to the business community", and lobbying groups such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised Zients as someone who heard them out.

At the NEC, Zients worked with the Department of Labor to finalize the fiduciary rule, also known as the conflict of interest rule. It required financial advisers to provide advice in their clients' best interest. The rule was strongly criticized by Wall Street leaders and business groups and was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018.{{cite web|last=Leonhardt|first=Megan|date=2017-02-03|title=Inside Wall Street's Secret War on American Investors|url=https://money.com/wall-street-fights-fiduciary/|access-date=2020-07-13|website=Money|language=en|archive-date=July 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714033708/https://money.com/wall-street-fights-fiduciary/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Rappeport |first1=Alan |title=Biden Faces a Balancing Act in Choosing Top Aides With Business Ties |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/us/politics/biden-staff-business-zients.html |access-date=5 December 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=1 December 2020}}

In 2015, while NEC director, Zients described the Trans-Pacific Partnership as "a massive tax cut for American businesses".{{Cite news|last1=Nelson|first1=Colleen McCain|last2=William|first2=Mauldin|date=2015-10-07|title=White House Compares Trans-Pacific Partnership's Tariff Cuts to Tax Breaks|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-compares-trans-pacific-partnerships-tariff-cuts-to-tax-breaks-1444258931|access-date=2020-08-24|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001111334/http://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-compares-trans-pacific-partnerships-tariff-cuts-to-tax-breaks-1444258931|url-status=live}}

Return to the private sector

= Facebook =

Zients joined Facebook's board of directors in 2018, following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/wikipedia-page-bidens-new-covid-czar-scrubbed-442735|title=Wikipedia page for Biden' new Covid czar scrubbed of politically damaging material|work=Politico|last1=Thompson|first1=Alex|last2=Meyer|first2=Theodoric|date=December 3, 2020|access-date=December 4, 2020|archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204050454/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/03/wikipedia-page-bidens-new-covid-czar-scrubbed-442735|url-status=live}} While on Facebook's board, Zients chaired the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee.{{Cite news|last=Fischer|first=Sara|title=Facebook changes audit committee charter after privacy issues|url=https://www.axios.com/facebooks-board-expands-role-of-a-1529004696-6d97c141-2709-4eb5-8fe4-b893b782f7cc.html|access-date=2020-05-28|work=Axios|language=en|archive-date=October 1, 2020|date=June 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001202923/https://www.axios.com/facebooks-board-expands-role-of-a-1529004696-6d97c141-2709-4eb5-8fe4-b893b782f7cc.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last1=Brandom|first1=Russell|date=2020-12-04|title=Biden coronavirus appointee has cut ties with Facebook, transition team says|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/4/22152631/jeffrey-zients-biden-white-house-facebook-board-member-transition|access-date=2020-12-06|work=The Verge|language=en}} According to Facebook, he declined to seek re-election in 2020 "to devote more time to his business and other professional interests".{{Cite news|last1=Horwitz|first1=Jeff|last2=Seetharaman|first2=Deepa|date=2020-03-26|title=Facebook Nears Complete Board Overhaul With Latest Exit|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-names-former-deputy-secretary-of-the-treasury-to-its-board-11585256495|access-date=2020-07-13|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=July 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713011505/https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-names-former-deputy-secretary-of-the-treasury-to-its-board-11585256495|url-status=live}} Zients was paid $100,000 in cash and roughly $300,000 in stock in exchange for his work on Facebook's audit committee. As of December 2020, Zients had reportedly sold all of his holdings of Facebook stock. In December 2024, Facebook shareholders sought sanctions against Zients in relation to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. He was accused of deleting emails from his personal account that were relevant to the 2018 shareholder lawsuit, in violation of a litigation hold.{{Cite news |last=Chase |first=Randall |date=December 9, 2024 |title=Meta shareholders seek sanctions for Sandberg, Zients for deleting Cambridge Analytica emails |url=https://apnews.com/article/meta-facebook-privacy-cambridge-analytica-user-data-e998cc0248f4e1466f698ac016168876 |publisher=Associated Press}} The following month, vice chancellor of Delaware Chancery Court denied sanctions against Zients stating that Zients' messages were "less pertinent" having joined the board after the Cambridge Analytica scandal.{{Cite news |last=Hals |first=Tom |date=January 21, 2025 |title=Meta ex-COO Sandberg sanctioned in investor lawsuit for deleting emails |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/meta-ex-coo-sandberg-sanctioned-investor-lawsuit-deleting-emails-2025-01-22/ |publisher=Reuters}}

= Cranemere =

Zients was the CEO of the Wall Street investment firm Cranemere, an investment firm owned by Vincent Mai, for which he earned a combined salary and bonus of $1.6 million.{{cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Brian|date=2021-03-20|title=Biden's closest advisors have ties to big business and Wall Street with some making millions|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/20/bidens-closest-advisors-have-ties-to-big-business-with-some-making-millions.html|access-date=2021-03-27|website=CNBC|language=en}} {{As of|2020|December}}, Zients was on leave from his position as chief executive officer of Cranemere.

In addition, Zients was an investor in the D.C.-based bagel deli startup Call Your Mother.{{cite news |last1=Carman |first1=Tim |title=D.C. restaurants are hoping for a 'Biden bump' after the president's Georgetown deli visit |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/01/26/biden-visits-deli-call-your-mother/ |access-date=21 November 2023 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=January 26, 2021}}

Biden administration

File:P20210802CS-0263 (51480023804).jpg and Rochelle Walensky in August 2021]]

In summer 2020, Politico reported that Saguaro Strategies, a media and consulting firm, heavily edited Zients's Wikipedia article as he became more prominent in the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign. For example, Zients had advocated for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which faced left-wing opposition, but the edit gave Zients's argument that it was "the most progressive trade agreement there’s ever been." It eliminated an Obama official's comment that he thought Zients was a Republican.

{{As of|2020|October}}, Zients was co-chair of the presidential transition of Joe Biden.{{Cite news |last1=Tankersley |first1=Jim |last2=Smialek |first2=Jeanna |date=October 30, 2020 |title=In Building Economic Team, Biden Faces Tug From Left and Center |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/business/biden-economic-advisers.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=December 5, 2020}} He was described as "an important power center in the Biden transition team" and noted as a candidate for several positions in the incoming administration. On December 7, 2020, the Biden transition announced Zients's presumptive appointment as coordinator of the COVID-19 response and counselor to the president.{{cite web |date=December 7, 2020 |title=President-elect Joe Biden Announces Key Members of Health Team |work=President-Elect Joe Biden |url=https://buildbackbetter.gov/press-releases/president-elect-joe-biden-announces-key-members-of-health-team/ |publisher=Biden transition |language=en-US |access-date=December 7, 2020}} The absence of any comprehensive COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan at the time of the handover from the outgoing Trump administration became an urgent priority for Zients after the inauguration on January 20, 2021.{{Cite news |last=Stacey |first=Kiran |date=January 20, 2021 |title=Jeff Zients: the "Mr. Fix-it" in charge of tackling the Covid-19 crisis |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b52ca23e-d244-498b-8199-5f7bd3f64177 |work=The Financial Times |language=en-GB |access-date=January 21, 2021}}

In July 2021, Zients came under criticism for delaying the relaxation of travel restrictions between the US and Europe.{{cite web |last1=Kumar |first1=Anita |last2=Meyer |first2=Theodoric |date=July 17, 2021 |title=Frustrated industry groups see Biden's Covid czar as obstacle to reopening travel |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/17/biden-covid-czar-obstacle-499908 |website=Politico |language=en-US |access-date=February 10, 2022}}

In March 2022, Zients announced he would be leaving the Biden administration in April, to be succeeded as Coronavirus Response Coordinator by Ashish Jha.{{cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |last2=Stolberg |first2=Sheryl Gay |date=March 17, 2022 |title=Biden's Covid Czar Will Be Replaced by Ashish Jha |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/us/politics/jeffrey-zients-ashish-jha.html |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |access-date=March 24, 2022}}

Zients was mentioned in an antisemitic flyer that originated in Australia in July 2022. The conspiracy theory posited that he and other Jewish people are part of a cabal responsible for COVID and a "COVID agenda".{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-712270 |title='COVID agenda is Jewish': Antisemitic flyer found at Melbourne synagogue |date=July 16, 2022 |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |accessdate=2023-04-27}}

On January 22, 2023, it was reported that Zients would replace Ron Klain as the White House chief of staff in February. On February 8, 2023, following President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address the previous night, Zients took office to become the 31st White House chief of staff.