Biden announces additions to White House communications team, includes former campaign staffers

A number of communications officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign are joining the White House in what the Biden-Harris transition called a demonstration of their "commitment to build an administration that looks like America and is ready to deliver results for working families on day one."

"Restoring faith in government by speaking honestly and directly to the American people will be a hallmark of my administration," Biden said in a statement Friday. "Our communications and press staff are integral to this effort and are committed to building this country back better for all Americans."

BIDEN CHOOSES ALL-FEMALE SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRESS TEAM

The president-elect added: "I’m proud to have them serve the American people in the White House."

Incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain added that the appointees "recognize the important role they play in communicating fact-based information to the public on behalf of the president and vice president-elect."

"They are respected and creative communicators ready to tackle the urgent challenges facing our nation," Klain said in a statement Friday.

The appointments include: Megan Apper as director of research at the White House. Apper served as research director for the campaign, and currently leads the research team for the transition. Apper previously worked in research roles on Senate campaigns, and previously worked as a reporter for BuzzFeed News.

Biden announced Mike Gwin would serve as director of rapid response. Gwin previously served as deputy rapid response director for the Biden campaign and was a spokesperson for the campaign during the post-election period. Gwin previously worked a in number of press secretary roles, and served as a North Carolina spokesperson for former Secretary Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. Gwin started in politics as an organizer in Iowa for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. Gwin served as a special assistant in the U.S. Trade Representative’s office during the Obama Administration.

Rosemary Boeglin will also join the White House from the campaign, and will serve as assistant press secretary. Boeglin was a rapid response spokesperson for the campaign, and previously served as a press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. Boeglin also served as communications director for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and as a deputy press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Kate Berner will serve as White House deputy communications director, after serving as deputy communications director for messaging on the Biden campaign. Berner previously served as a vice president at SKDKnickerbocker, where she helped launch the Biden Foundation and worked in the firm’s Supreme Court practice to help "protect the Affordable Care Act." Berner also served in the Obama administration as director of outreach and deputy director of administration in the Office of the Vice President, and as a special advisor at the Department of Commerce.

Others joining the White House from the campaign include Megan Hays, who will serve as director of message planning; Paige Hill, who will serve as senior regional communications director; Jennifer Molina as a senior director of coalitions media; Kevin Munoz and Vedant Patel as assistant press secretaries; Angela Dela Cruz Perez and Amijah Townsend-Holmes as press assistants; Emma Riley as chief of staff for the Office of Communications; Mariel Sáez as director of broadcast media; and Remi Yamamoto as Senior Advisor for Communications to the Chief of Staff.

Michael Kikukawa, who served as a rapid response coordinator for the Democratic National Committee will also join the White House as a press assistant.

Meanwhile, Amanda Finney, who served as an associate director of policy and communications for Sidewalk Labs, and previously as national deputy women’s outreach director for former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s presidential race, will join the White House as chief of staff for the press office and as a special assistant to the press secretary.

The announcements come after Biden, last month, announced that campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield would serve as White House communications director; and Jen Psaki, a longtime Democratic spokesperson, would serve as White House press secretary.

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Bedingfield served as communications director for Biden while he was vice president, and Psaki was a White House communications director and a spokesperson at the State Department under the Obama administration.

Karine Jean Pierre, who was Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' chief of staff, will serve as a principal deputy press secretary for the president-elect. She's another Obama administration alum, having served as a regional political director for the White House office of political affairs.

Pili Tobar, who was communications director for coalitions on Biden's campaign, will be his deputy White House communications director. She most recently was deputy director for America's Voice, an immigration reform advocacy group, and was a press staffer for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The transition also announced the appointment of three Biden campaign senior advisers to top communications roles. Ashley Etienne, a former communications director for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will serve as Harris' communications director. Symone Sanders, another senior adviser on the Biden campaign, will be Harris' senior adviser and chief spokesperson.

Elizabeth Alexander, who served as the former vice president's press secretary and his communications director while he was a U.S. senator from Delaware, will serve as Jill Biden's communications director.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.