With a crisis as complex as coronavirus, multiple government agencies and departments are involved in responding. There needs to be one qualified and experienced person who will make sure every relevant cabinet secretary, agency director and policy advisor are on the same page - day in and day out.
I grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina, which has the proud distinction of being the home to two of the eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the state: South Carolina State University and Claflin University. When I was a kid riding around town with my grandfather, we often drove by the colleges.