Chief of Staff
Ron Klain
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 11, 2020
The position: Sets overall direction of the White House on behalf of the president.
The person: Ron Klain is a lawyer and longtime aide to President-elect Joe Biden, repeatedly serving with him during the Obama administration, the Senate and past campaigns. Klain was Biden’s first chief of staff when he was vice president, then oversaw the White House response to the Ebola epidemic in 2014. Outside of government, Klain worked for the investment firm Revolution.
Deputy Chief of Staff
Jen O'Malley Dillon
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Helps run day-to-day operations of the White House staff.
The person: Jen O'Malley Dillon joined Biden's campaign in March after managing Beto O'Rourke's primary bid. She is a veteran of seven presidential campaigns and a former executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
Deputy Chief of Staff
Bruce Reed
No Confirmation needed
Announced Dec. 22, 2020
The position: Helps run day-to-day operations of the White House staff.
The person: Bruce Reed was former President Bill Clinton's chief domestic policy adviser. He worked with Biden in the Obama White House and was a senior adviser on his campaign.
Counselor to the President
Steve Ricchetti
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Provides strategic advice to the president.
The person: Steve Ricchetti was Biden's second chief of staff when Biden was vice president. A longtime aide to Biden, Ricchetti was a deputy chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton. During the George W. Bush era, Ricchetti worked as a lobbyist.
COVID-19 Response Coordinator
Jeff Zients
No Confirmation needed
Announced Dec. 7, 2020
The position: Coordinates the COVID-19 response on vaccines and other issues with agencies, and state and local governments.
The person: Jeff Zients was a top economic official in the Obama White House. He is known for leading efforts to fix the healthcare.gov website. Since then, he has been CEO of investment firm Cranemere and had been on Facebook's board of directors.
Director, Domestic Policy Council
Susan Rice
No Confirmation needed
Announced Dec. 10, 2020
The position: Top adviser to the president on domestic policy and related decisions.
The person: Susan Rice was former President Barack Obama's ambassador to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013 and then became his national security adviser. Rice also had a senior role in the State Department during the Clinton administration. She has served on the board of directors at Netflix since 2018.
Director, Office of Public Engagement
Cedric Richmond
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Provides coordination between the White House and organizations, coalitions and other public groups.
The person: Cedric Richmond is a five-term Louisiana congressman and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served on multiple committees and worked on criminal justice reform legislation. Richmond co-chaired Biden's campaign. He will serve as a senior adviser to Biden in addition to being director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Senior Adviser to the President
Mike Donilon
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Top adviser to the president, overseeing a wide range of policy and related decisions.
The person: Mike Donilon was Biden's chief strategist during Biden's presidential campaign, where he led speechwriting, advertising and polling. He also worked as a counselor to Biden when Biden was vice president. Donilon has been part of six presidential campaigns and more than 25 congressional, gubernatorial and mayoral races.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
John Kerry
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 23, 2020
The position: Senior adviser to the president on climate-related policy and decisions, elevated to be part of the National Security Council.
The person: John Kerry was a secretary of state to Obama and was an architect of the Paris climate accord. A former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry was also a U.S. senator from Massachusetts for 28 years.
National Climate Adviser
Gina McCarthy
No Confirmation needed
Announced Dec. 17, 2020
The position: Runs the new White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. Assists the president in coordinating his climate agenda.
The person: Gina McCarthy led the Environmental Protection Agency during President Barack Obama's second term. She has since been CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Earlier in her career, McCarthy was an environmental regulator in Connecticut.
Director, Office of Legislative Affairs
Louisa Terrell
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 20, 2020
The position: Provides coordination between the White House and Congress.
The person: Louisa Terrell worked on legislative affairs in the Obama White House. She earlier worked with Biden during his time as a U.S. senator, serving as his deputy chief of staff. Terrell has also worked for consultants McKinsey and Co., Yahoo! and Facebook.
Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Julie Chávez Rodriguez
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Provides coordination between the White House and state and local governments.
The person: Julie Chávez Rodriguez worked as Biden's deputy campaign manager. Earlier, she was national political director for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' presidential bid. Rodriguez had a senior role on the Obama White House's public engagement team.
Counsel to the President
Dana Remus
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 17, 2020
The position: Top legal adviser to the president.
The person: Dana Remus was the general counsel to Biden's presidential campaign. She has also served as the general counsel for the Obama Foundation. In the Obama White House, she was deputy counsel for ethics. She previously taught law at the University of North Carolina School of Law and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Press Secretary
Jen Psaki
No Confirmation needed
Announced Nov. 30, 2020
The position: Speaks on behalf of the president with the media; provides briefings
The person: Jen Psaki is a member of Biden's presidential transition team. She previously served in the Obama administration as communications director and as the spokesperson for the State Department. Psaki also worked on both of Obama's presidential campaigns as well as John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
Director, Office of Management and Budget
Confirmation needed
The position: Prepares the administration's budget proposal to Congress; reviews all regulations proposed by agencies.
The person:
Biden's first nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, withdrew.