President-elect Joe Biden has named seven highly-qualified women, representing various backgrounds, to his senior communications team. The historic appointment, featuring an all-female communication staff for the first time, is the latest example of Biden's effort to improve diversity in the White House.

"These diverse, experienced, and talented women demonstrate President-elect Biden’s continued commitment to building an administration that looks like America and is ready to deliver results for working families on day one," the transition team wrote in a statement.  

The new communication staff includes three Black women: Symone Sanders, Karine Jean-Pierre and Ashley Etienne. Sanders will serve as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s chief spokeswoman while Pierre will take the position of White House principal deputy press secretary. Etienne will work as Harris’ communications director. 

Sanders, who served as a senior adviser on the Biden-Harris campaign, became the youngest presidential press secretary in 2016 while working on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. She has also worked as CNN political commentator and principal of the 360 Group LLC, where she provided strategic communications guidance. In addition, the Creighton University graduate has served as chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee and as a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice. 

Pierre, who also worked alongside the president and vice president-elect, has a long-standing career in politics and community organization. The former MSNBC political analyst has worked as the chief public affairs officer for MoveOn.org and as regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama Administration. The New York native is a graduate of Columbia University.

Etienne made history when she served as communications director and senior advisor to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, becoming the first woman and Black person to hold the position. The Texas native also worked under the Obama administration, serving as special assistant to the president and director of communications for the cabinet.

Other members of the senior communications team include Elizabeth E. Alexander, Kate Bedingfield, Jen Psaki and Pili Tobar. Bedingfield will serve as White House communications director. Tobar will work as deputy White House communications director, while Alexander prepares to serve as communications director for First Lady Jill Biden. Psaki, a former CNN political commentator who has worked on three presidential campaigns, was appointed as press secretary. 

“When [Psaki] steps to that mic, she brings not only a sense of gravitas, but fact, transparency and honesty, and even a sense of comfort,” said Minyon Moore, a member of the Biden-Harris transition advisory board, according to The Washington Post. 

Biden has been focused on diversity since the start of his presidential bid. The 78-year-old, who chose Harris as the first Black woman and first Asian American on a major party's presidential ticket, has continued the trend since winning the election. As Blavity previously reported, the former vice president made a groundbreaking move earlier this month when he appointed Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a longtime Black medical professional, as one of three co-chairs to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden has also chosen Michelle Howard, a retired admiral, to the Department of Defense. Howard, who is the first Black woman to command a U.S. Navy ship and the first woman to achieve a four-star rank in the Navy, served as vice chief of naval operations and commander of naval forces in Europe and Africa. 

With the appointment of the new communication staff, the newly elected leaders are aiming to make a major shift from the Trump Administration, which has been criticized for its lack of transparency.

“Our country is facing unprecedented challenges — from the coronavirus pandemic to the economic crisis, to the climate crisis, and a long-overdue reckoning over racial injustice,” Harris said in a statement. “To overcome these challenges, we need to communicate clearly, honestly, and transparently with the American people, and this experienced, talented, and barrier-shattering team will help us do that.”

Ron Klain, who will be Biden’s chief of staff, said the president-elect has a history of advocating on behalf of women.

"Today’s announcement is a continuation of that work,” Klain said, according to The Washington Post. “They embody Joe Biden’s commitment to a diverse administration where the voices of all Americans are represented.”

all-female communicationJoe BidenKamala Harrispress secretary