In the last weeks, the Biden-Harris transition team has announced some of the members of its Senior Staff. As of Friday, November 20, fourteen members have been announced. Four of them are Latinos.
Per its website, the Biden-Harris administration’s Senior Staff will be composed of “diverse, experienced, and talented individuals who demonstrate President-elect Biden’s commitment to building an administration that not only looks like America, but is also ready to deliver results for working families on Day One.” Learn more about the four Latinos who will closely advise the President, Vice President and First Lady of the United States.
Anthony Bernal
Anthony Bernal will serve as Senior Advisor to First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. He was the Deputy Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden on the campaign, and served as Chief of Staff in the Office of Dr. Biden between 2017 and 2019, as well as in multiple leadership roles under the Obama-Biden administration. He began his career in public service under President Bill Clinton. Outside of government, he has held positions in the Coca-Cola Company and the AARP. He has served as Director of Financial Administration of the Democratic National Convention Committee and Chief of Staff at the ALS Therapy Development Foundation, a non-profit biotechnology company. He is a native of Arizona.
Carlos Elizondo
Carlos Elizondo will serve as White House Social Secretary. He was a Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary to Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden for all eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, the first Latino appointed to this position. He served in the White House and in the Office of the U.S. Chief of Protocol during the Clinton Administration. Outside of government, he has served as Senior Director of Presidential Events at Georgetown University, Manager of Special Activities and Protocol at Walt Disney World, and as an Estate Manager overseeing operations for a private family estate. He is a native of Texas.
Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon
Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon will serve as Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden. She is a partner at the law firm of Winston & Strawn. During the Obama-Biden administration, she served as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere in the U.S. Department of State. She serves on the boards of several nonprofit and advocacy organizations, and was on the faculty of Columbia Law School and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. Reynoso was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at the age of seven, and grew up in the Bronx, New York City.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez
Julie Chavez Rodriguez will serve as Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. served as a Deputy Campaign Manager on the Biden-Harris Campaign and, before that, she was the National Political Director and traveling Chief of Staff for then-Senator Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. During the Obama-Biden administration, Chavez Rodriguez served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Deputy Director of Public Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement. Before joining the White House, Chavez Rodriguez served as the Director of Youth Employment at the Department of the Interior and as Deputy Press Secretary to former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. She is a native of California.