Home National Two women of color will help run Biden’s legislative operation

Two women of color will help run Biden’s legislative operation

0
Reema Dodin, Shuwanza Goff

President-elect Joe Biden today announced that Senate Floor Director Reema Dodin and House Floor Manager Shuwanza Goff will both serve the White House as Deputy Legislative Directors, serving as liaisons to Congress and overseeing the Administration’s legislative agenda.

“The American people are eager for our Administration to get to work, and today’s appointees will help advance our agenda and ensure every American has a fair shot. In a Biden administration, we will have an open door to the Hill and this team will make sure their views are always represented in the White House,” Biden said in a statement on the appointments.

“President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris share a bold agenda that will build our nation back better than before. Our team will work with the president-elect and vice president-elect to implement that agenda and deliver results for American families,” incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said in a statement.

Dodin, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights, currently serves as a volunteer on the Biden-Harris Transition Team leading legislative engagement for the confirmations process. She also serves as  Deputy Chief of Staff and Floor Director to the Senate Democratic Whip, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). Prior to that, Dodin served as Senator Durbin’s Floor Counsel, Research Director and as an aide to his Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. Dodin has served as a volunteer voter-protection counsel on a number of campaigns, including the Obama for America campaign. She is a Truman National Security Fellow, a New Leaders Council Fellow, an Aspen Socrates alum, a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Jenkins Hill Society – a consortium of women in politics supporting female politicians. Dodin is the co-author of a primer on House and Senate Floor procedures through Brookings publications. Originally from California, Dodin is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Goff served as Floor Director for the House of Representatives under House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer. The first Black woman to hold the position, Goff determined which bills came to the House floor, set the legislative schedule, and helped craft the overall House Democratic agenda. Prior to that, Goff was Director of Legislative Operations for Representative Hoyer when he was minority whip. Goff has also served as Floor Aide, Floor Assistant, and Staff Assistant for Representative Hoyer. Originally from Virginia, Goff is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and American University.