Incoming Democratic Leader Jeffries Announces Senior Team

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the House Democratic Caucus approving its Ranking Members for the 118th Congress, Incoming Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the first wave of experienced staff who will support our Democratic Members in the new Congress.
 
“At our best, House Democrats wake up each and every day ready to fight for everyday Americans and deliver to them extraordinary legislative results. The same can be said for the hardworking staff who support our Members, including the new senior team of the Office of the Democratic Leader,” said Incoming Leader Jeffries. “Their talent, ability and skill, as well as their diversity of life experience and background is a reflection of the gorgeous mosaic of the Democratic Caucus and the American people.”
 
Tasia Jackson, a longtime Jeffries aide, will serve as Chief of Staff. Jackson currently holds this title in the NY-08 Congressional office, where she has also served as District Director and Special Assistant to the Member. Jackson’s career as a trusted staffer to Leader-designate Jeffries dates back to his first term in the New York State Assembly.
 
Gideon Bragin will serve as Executive Director of the Office of the Democratic Leader. Bragin has served as Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus since 2019, following several years as a top aide to Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Bragin began his Capitol Hill career in the office of then-Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. John Larson.
 
Emily Noriega-May will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Noriega-May is currently the Deputy Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus. Noriega-May rejoined the Caucus in 2020 after serving as a top aide to Rep. Xavier Becerra as California Attorney General and Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Noriega-May’s career in public service began as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) fellow.
 
Wayne Williams will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Engagement, having served in that capacity since 2019. Previously, Williams was a senior advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney and a critical staffer in other key New York governmental agencies. The work of Mr. Williams with Leader-designate Jeffries dates back to his time serving as a close aide to then-Assemblyman Jeffries in 2007.
 
Zoë Oreck, Esq. will serve as Policy Director. Oreck is currently the Legislative Director and General Counsel in the NY-08 Congressional office, where she advised Jeffries through two presidential impeachments and the successful enactment of the First Step Act of 2018. Prior to serving as a top legislative aide to Rep. Jeffries, Oreck worked at the American Association for Justice and held several clerkships.
 
Stephanie Palencia will serve as Director of Outreach. Palencia is currently the executive director of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, where she has served in key roles under Chairs Raul Ruiz and Joaquin Castro. Prior to her leadership within the CHC, Palencia began her Capitol Hill Career as an aide to Rep. Pete Aguilar.
 
Moh Sharma, Esq. joins the team as Director of Member Services, having previously served in that capacity for both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Small Business Committee. Sharma also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the House Democratic Caucus under then-Chair Rep. Xavier Becerra, having begun her Hill career as the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) fellow in the Office of Rep. Judy Chu.
 
Christie Stephenson will serve as Communications Director, a role she currently holds for the House Democratic Caucus. Prior to joining the leadership office of Chairman Jeffries in 2019, Stephenson held senior campaign and communications roles including for Rep. Stephanie Murphy and at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
 
Nnemdilim “Nd” Ubezonu joins the team as Floor Director after years of serving Democratic Members in the Office of Majority Whip James E. Clyburn as Deputy Floor Director. Ubezonu’s Capitol Hill career began as an intern to then-Assistant Leader Rep. James E. Clyburn, before she went on to serve in the offices of Rep. Frederica Wilson and Sen. Bob Casey.
 
Emily Berret joins the office as Executive Director of the Transition, bringing her depth of experience as a Deputy Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Berret has served as a trusted aide in the Office of the Speaker and, before that, the Office of the Democratic Leader, since 2013. Berret began her career working at the White House during the Obama administration.
 
George Kundanis will serve as Senior Advisor to the Leader, building upon his decades working in Democratic Leadership, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. An expert in the workings of the House of Representatives, Kundanis has served as a trusted advisor to every House Democratic Leader dating back to Speaker Tom Foley.
 
Drew Sachse will serve as Senior Advisor to the Leader. Sachse is currently Deputy Director of Member Services for the House Democratic Caucus, where he has supported Democratic Members for almost a decade. Sachse first joined the House Democratic Caucus in 2013 as an adviser to then-Vice Chair Rep. Joe Crowley.
 
The incoming Senior Team for the Office of the Democratic Leader reflects the diversity and life experiences of the American people. The Communications, Floor, Member Services, Operations, Outreach and Policy Departments will all be led by women, and six of the top leadership positions will be held by people of color.

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