Harris taps Tina Flournoy as chief of staff

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced new members of her senior White House team on Thursday, formally naming Tina Flournoy as her chief of staff.

Reports first emerged earlier this week that Harris would tap Flournoy, former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff and a seasoned Democratic operative, as her most senior staffer in the incoming administration.

Harris said in a statement that Flournoy’s “deep experience, public policy expertise, and accomplished career in public service make her uniquely qualified for this important position.”

Harris on Thursday also announced that Nancy McEldowney, a former U.S. ambassador and veteran Foreign Service officer, will be her national security adviser, while Rohini Kosoglu, a senior adviser to the Biden-Harris campaign and transition team, will be her domestic policy adviser.

The additions to Harris’ office come after Ashley Etienne was announced as her communications director and Symone Sanders was announced as her senior adviser and chief spokesperson.

The latest personnel moves mean that three more women will serve as some of the highest-ranking and most politically powerful aides in the next White House.

President-elect Joe Biden announced earlier this week that he would have an all-female senior communications team, led by White House communications director Kate Bedingfield and press secretary Jen Psaki.

Still, Biden has yet to name intended nominees for several high-profile Cabinet posts, and despite boasting about the diversity of his appointments thus far, Democratic lawmakers of color have recently implored him for further representation in the incoming administration.