Obama Names 11 To Legislative Affairs Team

[babylonsister]

President-elect Barack Obama Adds Key Staff to Legislative Affairs Team


WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama today announced eleven additions to his legislative affairs team, naming Lisa Konwinski as Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs and ten additional staff members with strong ties to Capitol Hill. The new appointments will assist the President-elect, the Vice President-elect and their policy teams in continuing close collaboration with congressional leaders from both parties. The President-elect had previously named Phil Schiliro as Director of Legislative Affairs, Dan Turton as Deputy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Shawn Maher as Deputy Director for the U.S. Senate.

"With such great challenges facing the country, it's going to be essential to work closely with Capitol Hill to advance an agenda that turns this economy around, puts Americans back to work, and safeguards our national security. The new legislative affairs team members announced today will help to carry that mission forward - and ensure that the voices of congressional leaders and their constituents are being heard in the White House," President-elect Obama said.

The following legislative affairs staff members were named today:

Lisa Konwinski, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs

Lisa Konwinski joins the White House from the United States Senate, where she served for over 11 years as General Counsel to the Senate Budget Committee, most recently under Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND), specializing in the Congressional budget process and Senate floor procedure. She previously worked in the House of Representatives, as Counsel and Rules Committee Associate to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and, prior to that, as a Senior Legislative Assistant to Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). Before serving on Capitol Hill, Konwinski was an attorney with the law firm of Moore & Van Allen in Charlotte, North Carolina. A native of Lansing, Michigan, she received her B.A. with honors in political science from the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Jay Heimbach

Jay Heimbach currently serves as Chief of Staff to Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH). His professional experiences include two separate jobs at the White House under President Clinton, serving in the Office of Legislative Affairs and as Policy Advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Heimbach also served as an advisor to the Chairman of the FCC and legal advisor to the Cable Services Bureau at the FCC. He has been active in numerous Senate and Presidential campaigns. Heimbach is a graduate of Colby College in Maine and the Boston University School of Law, and is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar. He lives with his wife Deasy and two daughters in Alexandria, VA.

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