President-elect Joe Biden announced members of the incoming White House senior staff this week, naming Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) as Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Richmond is the first American American official named by the incoming Biden-Harris Administration for a West Wing post.
“America faces great challenges,” Biden said in a statement. His vowed that his team will bring “diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger, more united nation.”
Richmond has spent months on the campaign trail as National Co-Chairman of the Biden-Harris Campaign, and he’s currently a Co-Chair of the Biden-Harris Transition Team. Since 2011, the Morehouse and Tulane University School of Law alum has represented Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
During his time in Congress, the New Orleans native has served on the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Committee on Homeland Security, the House Committee on the Judiciary, and also served as the House Democratic Assistant to the Majority Whip, among other roles. He was formerly chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus during the 115th Congress, and, most recently, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Richmond was a leader in helping to enact landmark criminal justice reform and ensuring that the people of Louisiana’s 2nd District were prepared for emergencies and natural disasters through his oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The Congressional Black Caucus sent congratulations in a statement. “… We are proud of the role CBC members like Cedric Richmond will continue to play in getting our country closer to a more perfect union, one that truly delivers liberty and justice for all Americans. We remain steadfast partners in this effort and wish our friend and colleague well on this most awesome journey.”
The caucus also expressed its pride in Senator Kamala Harris as Vice President-elect; Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester as a national co-chair of the Biden campaign; and Rep. [James] Clyburn for his role in the South Carolina Caucus. “We are proud to have sent three CBC Members to the White House: Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Cedric Richmond.”