There’s a new wave of female representation in the White House. After an administration that prompted women to march for their rights after the inauguration, seeing an unprecedented number of female leaders is a refreshing change of pace. It’s no secret female voters, with an emphasis on Black women are the reason Biden won the election, so it’s only fair Biden kept his promise to properly represent them throughout his administration. So, let’s meet the women in the White House.
For the first time in history, the Biden-Harris Administration announced an all-female communications team. Four of the seven women a part of the team are women of color, some the first ever in their respective positions. At the top position is Jen Psaki, Press Secretary to Biden and the face of the administration to the press corps. She has been a prominent figure among political communications positions throughout Barack Obama’s presidency and Biden’s presidential run.
The rest of the team consists of communications director Kate Bedingfield, first lady Jill Biden’s communications director Elizabeth Alexander, Vice President Harris’ communications director Ashley Etienne, Harris’ senior advisor and chief spokesperson Symone Sanders, deputy press secretary Karine Jean Pierre, and deputy White House communications director Pili Tobar. Bedingfield and Psaki have both worked under the Obama administration and all the women have held multiple high-level government positions previous to being chosen. Biden said in a statement announcing the team, “These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”
Outside of the communications team, there are many female advisors and economic experts. Janet Yellen appointed as Treasury Secretary has a history of economic advisement having served under both the Clinton and Obama administrations as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors and the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Neera Tanden will serve as the director of the Office of Management and Budget. A Yale Law School graduate and prominent member of Obama and Clinton’s administrations, she will be the first woman of color to oversee this agency.
Cecilia Rouse has been appointed as the Council of Economic Advisers chair. If approved by the Senate, she will be the first woman of color to chair the council and only the fourth woman ever to hold this position. Jennifer O’Malley Dillon will serve as Biden’s Deputy Chief of Staff. She’s Biden’s former presidential campaign manager and was the first woman to lead a successful Democratic presidential campaign.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, granddaughter of civil rights leader Caesar Chavez will serve as the Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. She was previously the national political director and traveling chief of staff for Kamala Harris. Former U.S ambassador to Uruguay and Obama’s deputy assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Julia Reynoso Pantaleon will serve as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s Chief of Staff. Dana Remus, Harvard, and Yale Law School alum will serve on the White House Counsel and Annie Tomasini Biden’s former traveling Chief of Staff will serve as the Director of Oval Office Operations.
These women are making history bringing long-overdue female representation to the highest office in the country. Anita Dunn, another powerhouse female, and top Biden campaign aide told CNBC, “The odds are very high that if it’s a story about the Biden administration, any aspect of it, at least one quote in the story will be from a woman.” This is a monumental step for women in politics and sets the precedent that women belong in the White House. As the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” It seems like they finally are starting to be.