Tibbles is a former deputy commissioner of administration and legislative liaison for Gov. Frank Murkowski, and also has several years under his belt as staff to legislators such as state Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole.

"She has made a good choice in Tibbles. He is a hard worker and good with details, and is level-headed," said Kip Knudson, public affairs manager for Tesoro Alaska Petroleum Co., who saw Tibbles at work in the Legislature.

Mark Hanley, Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s Alaska external affairs manager, agreed with Knudson. "Tibbles is a bright guy. He's thorough, dedicated and he doesn't have a huge ego. He'll do a good job for her," Hanley said.

Hanley and Knudson both worked with Tibbles when Hanley was in the Legislature and Knudson was staff to another lawmaker.

Palin appointed Tibbles to lead the team on Nov. 8, a day after her victory in the Nov. 7 state general election.

"Mike brings with him a great deal of institutional knowledge and organizational skills," Palin said. "He was a great addition to our campaign team and I have great confidence in his ability to make the transition a smooth one."

Some reactions were less enthusiastic, however. Some observers of the political scene, speaking on background, said they were disappointed that Palin didn't appoint a well-known business or community leader, as previous governors have done. While Tibbles is competent, his lack of experience outside the Legislature and state administration could give him a narrow perspective in guiding the formation of Palin's new team, critics have said.

The team Tibbles heads will plan key appointments in Palin's administration, including commissioners and important staff members in the office of the governor. One of the appointments being watched closely is who the new governor will appoint as chief of staff, who will manage the day-to-day operations of state government.

Palin also said that she and incoming Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will initiate meetings on the natural gas pipeline on Dec. 5, the day after Palin is sworn in as governor. During her campaign, Palin said she would invite the North Slope producers, the Alaska Gasline Port Authority, TransCanada Corp. and MidAmerican Energy Holdings to the December meetings.

Palin also announced Nov. 14 the opening of offices for her transition team in Anchorage and Juneau, as well as the posting of the transition Web site.

Starting immediately, and for the next several weeks, the Palin-Parnell administration will be looking for key personnel for the administration.

Anyone looking to join the Palin-Parnell administration is requested to visit the Web site at www.gov.state.ak.us/govelect/. The site will provide instructions on how to submit resumes and other information.

The Anchorage transition office is located on the 12th floor of the Atwood Building in room 1270. The phone number is (907) 375-7714. The Juneau office is located in the Court Plaza Building, Suite 500. The Juneau phone number is (907) 465-4810. The transition e-mail address is palin_transition@gov.state.ak.us.