U.S. President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris on Saturday announced additional members of the White House staff who will join the Office of the Vice President.
Philip Gordon was named as Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President and Julie Mason as Chief of Staff to the Second Gentleman.
Reactions:
President-elect Joe Biden: “These experienced and qualified appointees bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment that will be critical to tackling the many challenges facing American families. They are celebrated public servants who will help our administration build back better than ever before. They are joining an already stellar group of appointees to build an administration and White House that represents America and delivers results.”
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris: “These accomplished public servants have the knowledge and expertise to hit the ground running on day one and they will serve our country with honor and integrity. Their judgment and counsel will be integral as we work to keep the American people safe and rebuild our country in a way that lifts up all Americans. I look forward to working alongside them on behalf of the American people.”
Incoming Chief of Staff to the Vice President Tina Flournoy: “President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have a bold vision for our country that will contain COVID-19, reinvigorate our economy, and build our nation back better than before. These appointees are tested public servants and will work tirelessly for American families. I am proud to have them join our White House team.”
Read the biographies of the appointees:
Philip Gordon, Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President
Philip H. Gordon serves as a foreign policy and national security advisor on the Biden-Harris Transition Team. He is currently the Mary and David Boise Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. During the Obama administration, Gordon served as Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region from 2013-15 and as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from 2009-13. He served as a Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council Staff during the Clinton Administration. Gordon has an MA and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Ohio University. He and his wife live in Washington, D.C., and have two sons and a daughter.
Julie Mason, Chief of Staff to the Second Gentleman
Julie Mason most recently served as Senior Vice President at the global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group. Mason served in the White House during the Obama and Clinton administrations, holding positions in the President’s Press Office, the Office of the First Lady, and the Office of the Second Lady. She served as Director of Communications for Dr. Jill Biden during the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign. She also worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park, where she oversaw the Zoo’s external and internal communications as a member of the Zoo’s senior management team. Mason began her career answering phones in the office of then-Senator Joseph R. Biden on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Raised in Illinois, she is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her daughter and
Simon Ateba is Chief White House Correspondent for Today News Africa. Simon covers President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. government, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other financial and international institutions in Washington D.C. and New York City.