WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Thursday named three women who will serve as key advisers on her White House senior staff.
Harris announced Hartina Flournoy as her chief of staff, Rohini Kosoglu as her domestic policy adviser and Ambassador Nancy McEldowney as her national security adviser.
“Together with the rest of my team, today’s appointees will work to get this virus under control, open our economy responsibly and make sure it lifts up all Americans, and restore and advance our country’s leadership around the world,” Harris said in a statement Thursday.
Flournoy’s appointment as Harris’ top staffer adds to a team of advisers led by Black women. Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian heritage, is the nation’s first female vice president. Flournoy joins Ashley Etienne as Harris’ communications director and Symone Sanders as her chief spokeswoman.
Flournoy, a veteran Democratic strategist and aide to the Clintons, will lead the vice president’s office.
Flournoy has served as chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton since 2013. That follows a career that took her to top posts at the Democratic National Committee, in the presidential campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and with the American Federation of Teachers.
“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.
Former colleagues describe Flournoy as a no-nonsense operative who has both policy and political chops. Matt McKenna, who was Bill Clinton’s spokesperson from 2007 to 2015, noted the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy and said Flournoy will skillfully manage competing demands for her time.
“(Harris) represents so many things to so many people, and they’re all going to want some of her time. She needs someone who can honor the historic nature of her candidacy and her victory and her place in the world,” he said.
Kosoglu is currently working as a senior adviser to Harris on their presidential transition team. Once President-elect Joe Biden and Harris take office come January, Kosoglu will help the vice president with domestic policy decisions.
Harris said Kosoglu is “is not only an expert on some of the most important issues facing the American people, but also one of (her) closest and most trusted aides from the Senate and presidential campaign.”
Kosoglu was the first South Asian American woman to serve as chief of staff in the U.S. Senate when she worked for Harris before the presidential race. She also worked as a senior adviser on the Biden-Harris campaign.
She has also negotiated several bipartisan bills into law and served as a top adviser during the drafting and passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to the Biden-Harris transition team.
Ambassador McEldowney joins Harris’ staff with over 30 years of experience in the U.S. Foreign Service.
McEldowney, who will advise Harris on national security, has formerly served as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, as well as the chargé d’affaires and deputy chief of mission in Turkey and Azerbaijan.
She also helped lead the foreign affairs training facility for the U.S. government during her time at the Department of State, and served as interim president and senior vice president of the National Defense University.
Most recently, McEldowney taught at Georgetown University’s foreign service school, and served as director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service program.
Harris said McEldowney’s career “will be invaluable as we keep the American people safe and advance our country’s interests around the world.”