Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is proactively adding to her staff in preparation of Jan. 20 when she and President-elect Joe Biden start their terms in office. In an announcement released Friday (Jan. 8), she named several members of her new team.
Once a member of former President Obama’s economic policy team, Mike Pyle will join Harris’ staff as her chief economic advisor. He has also served as a clerk for Merrick Garland, Biden’s nominee for attorney general.
Harris also announced that Michael Fuchs, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and former foreign policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton, will now serve as her deputy chief of staff. He will work with incoming chief of staff Tina Flournoy.
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Also joining Harris’ team are Dr. Ike Irby as policy advisor; Deanne Millison as deputy policy advisor; Vincent Evans, deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs; Kate Childs Graham as director of speech writing.

Harris’ incoming communications team is a mixture of people who worked with her during the campaign and who were part of her Senate office. Sabrina Singh will serve as deputy press secretary; Rachel Palermo as assistant press secretary; Peter Velz as director of press operations; Herbie Ziskend as deputy communications director.

“These deeply experienced public servants reflect the very best of our nation, and they will be ready to get to work building a country that lifts up all Americans. Their counsel and expertise are grounded in a commitment to making sure our economy works for working people and all those looking to work,” said Harris in a statement. “And their leadership will be critical as we work to meet the challenges facing the American people — from the coronavirus pandemic to this economic recession to our climate crisis and long-overdue reckoning on racial injustice. I am proud to announce these individuals will be joining my team and look forward to working alongside them each and every day.”
Flournoy, who is currently chief of staff to former President Clinton, and an experienced Democratic strategist, was announced as Harris' new chief of staff in December.
“Tina brings a strong commitment to serving the American people, and her leadership will be critical as we work to overcome the unprecedented challenges facing our nation,” Harris said in a statement when she made the announcement.
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She also announced that Nancy McEldowney will be her national security advisor. McEldowney served as a U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria and served as director of the Foreign Service Institute under presidents Obama and Trump.