Joe Biden presented on Tuesday the main advisers who will accompany him in his government come Jan. 20, when he is sworn in as president. Last week, the president-elect announced that Ron Klain, a seasoned Democratic adviser, would be the head of his future cabinet, in his first public election to his team. Now he added nine advisers, some of whom will advise him directly and others to the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden.
“The senior staff of the Biden-Harris White House will be comprised of diverse, experienced and talented individuals who demonstrate President-elect Biden’s commitment to building an administration that resembles the United States, who have deep experience in the government and that they are willing to help the president-elect to obtain results for working families from day one,” said the transition team of the Biden-Harris administration in a statement.
Mike Donilon, who was the chief strategist on his campaign, will be a senior adviser to the White House and will be devoted to writing speeches. Donilon has been a friend of Biden for many years and was also part of his advisory team during his tenure as vice president between 2009 and 2017.
Dana Remus will serve as the White House attorney, whose primary role is to provide legal advice to the President. Prior to being the General Counsel of the Biden-Harris campaign, she had been General Counsel for the Obama Foundation and the former president’s personal office. Previously, she had been a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she specialized in legal and judicial ethics and the regulation of the legal profession.
On the other hand, seconding Ron Klain will be Jen O’Malley Dillon, as deputy chief of staff. As the director of the Biden-Harris campaign, she became the first woman to lead a successful presidential campaign for the Democratic Party. He had plenty of experience, having previously participated in six other attempts. Among them, she stood out as deputy campaign manager for Obama’s re-election in 2012.
Biden also appointed Steve Ricchetti as one of his top advisers, following a successful role as chairman of the Democratic campaign in the elections. Ricchetti is a veteran leader who served in various positions on Capitol Hill and in the White House. Among them, he was Biden’s chief of staff during his tenure as vice president, and before that he had been Bill Clinton’s deputy chief of staff. While the Democratic Party was out of power, Ricchetti founded a government relations and political consulting firm.
Annie Tomasini will be in charge of directing Oval Office Operations, which handles managing the president’s agenda. Tomasini has worked with Biden and his family for more than a decade. She was his deputy press secretary during the vice presidency and press secretary in the final part of his career as a senator. During the presidential campaign, he was in charge of Biden’s cabinet on all of his tours of the country.
Congressman Cedric Richmond will serve as an advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Participation. Richmond was co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign and is currently co-chair of the transition team. Since 2011, he has represented the 2nd Legislative District of the state of Louisiana in the House of Representatives. During his time in Congress, he was president of the Congressional Black Caucus, the group that brings together African-American congressmen.
For her part, Julie Rodríguez will be director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Before being deputy director of the presidential campaign, she had been a very close official to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. During her tenure in the Senate, she was California State Director in her office and later was its chief of staff during her failed presidential campaign. She had also served in the Obama administration, as an advisor to the president and deputy director in the Office of Public Participation.
In addition to the appointments of officials who will accompany Biden when he assumes the presidency, there are two who will be part of Jill Biden’s team as first lady. Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon will be her chief of staff and Anthony Bernal her main advisor.
