Gov. Janet Napolitano's chief of staff says she will join her boss at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington.

Jan Lesher says her formal job title hasn't been set but that she's already rented an apartment and has been planning for the move since early December.

That's when president-elect Barack Obama named Napolitano as his choice to be homeland security secretary. Senate confirmation hearings begin next week.

Lesher said Tuesday that she'll keep her home in Tucson and her Arizona voter registration.

She has worked for Napolitano since 2003 in various capacities and became chief of staff in August. She previously ran a public-relations agency involved in local and state political campaigns.