DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos and DCCC Executive Director Lucinda Guinn today announced a new Senior Leadership Team and new senior staff positions to bolster the DCCC’s efforts to protect and expand the most diverse Caucus in American history.
This announcement comes just weeks after Chairwoman Bustos announced Lucinda Guinn as the DCCC’s new Executive Director, and puts a further priority on serving Democratic House members, running a robust field operation to turn out people of color and younger Americans, and increasing communications capacity. Bustos and Guinn have also established a first ever Diversity Department naming a Chief Diversity Officer and staff.
With these new staff additions, half of the DCCC’s Senior Leadership Team identify as people of color. Additionally, more than half of the DCCC’s larger senior staff, as well as half of the full DCCC headquarters staff, identify as people of color.
“One of the DCCC’s greatest strengths is the dedicated and diverse staff working to ensure Democrats are positioned to fight for the priorities of the American people,” DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos said. “With these new additions to our team, I am confident the DCCC is on track for success this election cycle.”
“Democrats are back in the majority for the first time in a decade, and it is vital that this organization is fully prepared to serve the needs of the most diverse Caucus in American history. We have some of the most talented staff in the country, working day in and day out to protect and expand our majority, and I could not be more proud to lead this team,” DCCC Executive Director Lucinda Guinn said.
DCCC Senior Leadership Team:
- Charles Benton – Managing Director of Member Services
- Tasha Cole – Chief Diversity Officer
- Alex Edelman – Field Director
- Ryan Hedgepeth – Deputy Executive Director for Member Engagement
- Danny Kazin – Independent Expenditure Director
- Kory Kozloski – Political Director
- Cole Leiter – Communications Director
- Jackie Forte-Mackay – Chief Financial Officer
- Samantha McClain – Research Director
- Jacqui Newman – Deputy Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer
- Dennis Raj – Data and Targeting Director
- Alex Smith – Chief of Staff
- Mike Smith – Deputy Executive Director for Finance
- Ryan Thompson – Chief Digital Officer
The new leadership team includes the DCCC’s new Chief Diversity Officer, Tasha Cole. Tasha joins the DCCC from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation where she managed Resource Development efforts. She has served on the Hill and as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Tasha brings years of campaign and convention experience to the new position, as well as an important perspective on building pipelines of talent. She will be joined in the department by Carlos Duran, currently serving in the DCCC’s Member Services department, who will take on a new role as the Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion.
The new leadership team also includes Ryan Hedgepeth as the DCCC’s first Deputy Executive Director of Member Engagement. He joins the DCCC from Michigan Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence’s team, where he served as her Chief of Staff, and is an Obama Administration alumnus, serving in both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Commerce. The Member Engagement Department has been expanded to better serve the political needs of the entire Democratic Caucus, adding staff capacity to bolster its work in the 2020 election cycle.
In addition to the new Leadership Team, Gabrielle Quintana Greenfield joins the DCCC as the Committee’s new Battlefield Director. Gabrielle will work to ensure the DCCC has the capacity to identify opportunities to grow Democrats’ historic majority. Also, Robyn Patterson joins the DCCC as its new National Press Secretary, where she will serve as the DCCC’s primary on-the-record spokesperson. Robyn joins the DCCC after serving as South Carolina Communications Director for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign.
Additionally, the DCCC announced it is expanding its focus on connecting with voters from key constituencies across the battlefield, adding for the first time a Deputy National Press Secretary handling Asian American and Pacific Islander media outreach and voter engagement. This comes in addition to Deputy National Press Secretaries handling Hispanic and African American media outreach and voter engagement.
These additions to the DCCC Communications Department will be a vital resource to campaigns in the rapidly diversifying suburbs that are at the core of the DCCC’s battlefield. Additionally, these roles will be particularly impactful in executing on the DCCC’s Cycle of Engagement, which aims to grow and earn the trust of voters, particularly in communities of color and young people.
These new DCCC leaders join a growing team that includes many talented DCCC veterans who have helped lead the DCCC to historic victories in 2018, record fundraising quarters throughout 2019, and will put Democrats on track to protect and expand our majority in 2020.
New Battlefield Hires at the DCCC:
- Gabrielle Quintana Greenfield – Battlefield Political Director
- Alexis Magnan-Callaway – Mobilization Director
- Robyn Patterson – National Press Secretary
- Darwin Pham – Deputy National Press Secretary and AAPI Media Advisor
- Fabiola Rodriguez – Deputy National Press Secretary and Hispanic Media Advisor
- Chris Taylor – Deputy National Press Secretary and African American Media Advisor