Biden Adds More Experienced Hands to White House Senior Staff

(Bloomberg) -- President-elect Joe Biden is beefing up his White House staff with experienced officials, naming four senior members who are veterans of either the Obama administration or the former president’s campaign.

Campaign Vice Chair Cathy Russell, who serves on the Biden transition advisory board, will be the director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. She worked in President Barack Obama’s White House for 8 years.

Louisa Terrell currently leads legislative affairs for the Biden-Harris transition team and will continue in that role in the White House as director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. In the Obama administration she served as special assistant to the president for legislative affairs and previously served as Biden’s chief of staff when he was in the U.S. Senate.

Carlos Elizondo will become White House social secretary. He was special assistant to the president and social secretary to Joe and Jill Biden for all eight years of the Obama administration, and was the first Hispanic person to serve in the role.

Mala Adiga will become policy director for Jill Biden. Adiga was a senior adviser to Jill Biden and a senior policy aide on the Biden-Harris Campaign.

In a statement, Biden said he was “proud” of the staffing additions and the perspectives they bring to the role.

“Their dedication to overcoming the challenges facing our country today are rooted in their diverse backgrounds and experiences,” Biden said. “They will serve the American people and help build back better, creating a more just, equitable, and united nation.”

Biden is building his administration even as President Donald Trump delays the official transition process by refusing to concede.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.