President-Elect Biden Announces 30-Member Agency Review Team For Department Of State
/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2020
Biden-Harris Transition Team Announces Members of Agency Review Teams
Formation of Agency Review Teams Among the First Steps to Building a Successful Administration
WASHINGTON – Today, the Biden-Harris Transition announced key members of the agency review teams (ARTs), which are responsible for evaluating the operations of the federal agencies so that the incoming Biden-Harris administration is prepared to lead our country on Day One. The ARTs are composed of highly experienced and talented professionals with deep backgrounds in key policy areas across the federal government. The teams possess a diversity of perspectives critical to addressing America’s most urgent and complex challenges.
“Our nation is grappling with a pandemic, an economic crisis, urgent calls for racial justice, and the existential threat of climate change. We must be prepared for a seamless transfer of knowledge to the incoming administration to protect our interests at home and abroad. The agency review process will help lay the foundation for meeting these challenges on Day One,” said Senator Ted Kaufman, Co-Chair, Biden-Harris Transition. “The work of the agency review teams is critical for protecting national security, addressing the ongoing public health crisis, and demonstrating that America remains the beacon of democracy for the world.”
The transition’s work continues full steam ahead. The agency review teams will proceed by meeting with former agency officials and experts who closely follow federal agencies, and with officials from think tanks, labor groups, trade associations, and other NGOs. Further, many of the ART members have had long careers in the federal agencies they will now help prepare for the incoming Biden-Harris administration.
Once the GSA Administrator ascertains the results of the election, the ART members will work directly with staff in federal agencies to ensure that the incoming Biden-Harris administration is able to effectively achieve the policy goals of the President and Vice President-elect.
Finally, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are proud to have one of the most diverse agency review teams in presidential transition history. Of the hundreds of ART members to be announced, more than half are women, and approximately 40 percent represent communities historically underrepresented in the federal government, including people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities. The President-elect and Vice President-elect are committed to building an administration that looks like America.
Agency review teams are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris and their cabinet to hit the ground running on Day One. These teams are composed of highly experienced and talented professionals with deep backgrounds in crucial policy areas across the federal government. The teams have been crafted to ensure they not only reflect the values and priorities of the incoming administration, but reflect the diversity of perspectives crucial for addressing America’s most urgent and complex challenges.
The Presidential Transition Act requires presidential transitions to disclose the “most recent employment” and “sources of funding” for all agency review team members. The Transition Team has three types of agency review team members:
Volunteers: Individuals who are volunteering for the Transition in their personal capacity. For these team members, their current or most recent employer is listed (for informational purposes only), and their source of funding is listed as “Volunteer.”
Full-Time Transition Employees: Individuals who are full-time paid Transition employees, funded by the Transition entity itself (PT Fund, Inc.). For these team members, their most recent employer prior to joining the Transition is listed (for informational purposes only), and their source of funding is listed as “Transition — PT Fund, Inc.”
Detailees: Individuals on detail who will be funded through an appropriation administered by the General Services Administration. For these team members, their current employer is listed, and their source of funding is listed as “Transition — Appropriation.”
Department of State
Name
Most Recent Employment
Source of Funding
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Team Lead
Albright Stonebridge Group
Volunteer
Hady Amr
Brookings Institution
Volunteer
Susan Biniaz
United Nations Foundation
Volunteer
Oni Blair
LINK Houston
Volunteer
Derek Chollet
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Volunteer
Frances Colon
Self-employed
Volunteer
Bathsheba Crocker
CARE
Volunteer
Sarah Cross
Open Society Foundations
Volunteer
Michael Guest
Self-employed
Volunteer
Sumona Guha
Albright Stonebridge Group
Volunteer
Peter Harrell
Self-employed
Volunteer
Owen Herrnstadt
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Volunteer
Roberta Jacobson
Albright Stonebridge Group
Volunteer
Bonnie Jenkins
Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security
Volunteer
Alexandra Kahan
Boston Consulting Group
Volunteer
Jeremy Konyndyk
Center for Global Development
Volunteer
Ellison Laskowski
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Volunteer
Allison Lombardo
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
Volunteer
Raphael Majma
Alloy
Volunteer
Nancy McEldowney
Georgetown University
Volunteer
Amber McIntyre
HWC, Inc.
Volunteer
Emily Mendrala
Center for Democracy in the Americas
Volunteer
Jane Rhee
The Estee Lauder Companies
Volunteer
Fouad Saad
Self-employed
Volunteer
Gentry Smith
Self-employed
Volunteer
Dana Stroul
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Volunteer
Tom Sullivan
Amazon.com, Inc.
Volunteer
Puneet Talwar
Self-employed
Volunteer
Margaret Taylor
Brookings Institution
Volunteer
Ramin Toloui
Stanford University
Volunteer
