Biden team announces hires for incoming administration

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has picked a Senate and White House veteran with experience inside and outside government to be the administration’s chief liaison with Congress.

Louisa Terrell, who has been overseeing legislative affairs for the transition team, will formally become the director of legislative affairs office at the White House when Biden takes office in January.

Terrell has significant private-sector experience in technology, including in senior public policy roles at Yahoo and Facebook. She has most recently been deputy general counsel and the lead on public affairs at the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

Her Capitol Hill experience includes stints as the first chief of staff to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., after he won a 2013 special election. She also previously worked as deputy chief of staff to Biden in the Senate and was a special assistant to President Barack Obama for legislative affairs.

Within government, Terrell has also worked as an adviser to then-Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Terrell is among several personnel announcements made by Biden and the transition on Friday morning.

“To bring President-elect Biden and Vice Presidentelect Harris’ agenda to life you must have a boundless team of experts ready for day one. Today’s appointees are respected leaders who will bring a commitment to serving the American people each and every day,” incoming chief of staff Ron Klain said in a statement. “They will support our work to build an administration and White House that represents America and delivers results.”

The other senior positions announced Friday include Mala Adiga as policy director for incoming first lady Jill Biden, Carlos Elizondo as White House social secretary and Ambassador Cathy Russell as director of the office of presidential personnel.