Exclusive: 85% diversity on Biden people team
- Alayna Treene, author of Axios Sneak Peek
President Joe Biden conducts a virtual swearing-in ceremony for members of his new administration. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Biden administration will announce a slate of political appointees to the Office of Personnel Management on Monday, and more than 85% of them identify as people of color, women or LGBTQ, according to a copy of the list obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: President Biden has pledged a diverse Cabinet and government, and his gatekeepers to it reflect that promise through their own ranks.
The backstory: The office is in charge of recruiting new government employees and managing their benefits. The president has yet to name an office director, but Kathleen McGettigan — a longtime civil servant who also served in a temporary capacity at the start of the Trump administration — currently is acting director.
Some of the new hires at the office:
- Chief of staff: Chris Canning served as a senior adviser to the director of the office during the Obama administration.
- General counsel: Lynn Eisenberg most recently served as deputy general counsel for the Biden-Harris campaign.
- Press secretary: Shelby Wagenseller was deputy chief operating officer of the 2020 Democratic National Convention Committee.
- Senior adviser to the chief of staff: Dave Marsh most recently served on the Biden-Harris transition team.
- Senior adviser to the director: Mini Timmaraju most recently was executive director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Comcast.
- White House liaison: Jason Tengco was the chief of staff for the Biden-Harris campaign’s coalitions department.