President-elect Biden's transition team on Friday named four new top administration hires, including Cathy Russell as director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.
Why it matters: Biden and incoming First Lady Jill Biden are turning to more of their own tested allies to guide both policy and outreach.
- Russell previously served as deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff to Jill Biden during the Obama administration.
- Russell, whose husband, Tom Donilon, could find himself at CIA or elsewhere in the Cabinet, will further have the delicate task of ensuring that Biden's many friends and former staffers find suitable positions in his administration.
The other hires:
- Louisa Terrell has been named director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. She is a seasoned congressional aide who is well respected on both sides of the Capitol, as well as K Street. She served as special assistant to the president for legislative affairs during the Obama administration.
- Carlos Elizondo has been named White House social secretary. He served as special assistant to the president and social secretary to the Bidens throughout the Obama years. He is the first Hispanic American to serve in the role.
- Mala Adiga has been named policy director for Jill Biden. She was a senior policy adviser on the Biden campaign.
