WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the members of his White House senior staff, representing a diverse team of campaign veterans. Among the top new hires are a handful of New England natives.
Biden’s former campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillion will serve as a deputy chief of staff in the Biden-Harris administration. Dillion is a Massachusetts native who graduated from Tufts University. Dillion was the first female campaign manager for a successful Democratic presidential campaign, the Biden transition team noted in a press release.
In a tweet following the announcement Tuesday, Dillion said working for Biden “is absolutely the honor of my life.”
Another Bay Stater, Annie Tomasini, has been named Director of Oval Office Operations. Tomasini, a graduate of Boston University, has served the Biden family “for over a decade” in several key roles. Currently, Tomasini serves as Biden’s Traveling Chief of Staff, where she handles day-to-day affairs and provides strategic counsel to the President-elect.
Dana Remus, the campaign’s current general counsel, will serve as Counsel to the President in the new administration. The New Hampshire native is a Harvard College and Yale Law School grad.
Rhode Islander Mike Donilon was named Senior Advisor to the President. He served as Chief Strategist for the Biden-Harris campaign and was counselor to Biden when he was Vice President.
The new hires represent an initial wave of what will ultimately be hundreds of new White House aides hired in the coming weeks as Biden builds out an administration to execute his governing vision. The Democrat will be inaugurated Jan. 20.
Late last week, Biden tapped former senior campaign adviser Ron Klain to serve as his chief of staff.
The latest round reflects Biden’s stated commitment to diversity in his staff — the team includes four people of color and five women.
“America faces great challenges, and they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger, more united nation,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden's transition team has Maine ties as well. Last week, David Reidmiller, Ph.D., the director of the Climate Center at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, was named to the Office of Science and Technology Policy in Biden's transition team.
Also named to the transition team was Brooke Barron, a senior advisor to Maine Speaker of the House Sara Gideon and former advisor to U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree. Barron will serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture team.
Biden will begin rolling out his higher-profile Cabinet picks in the coming weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
