The Chief of Staff Association congratulates Ron Klain on his recent appointment as the chief of staff to President-Elect Joe Biden.

  • 30.12.20
  • Chief of Staff Association
Speculation has long circled that Mr Klain is the front-runner for Biden’s chief of staff position.1 Mr Klain has a long history in the chief of staff role and previously served as Biden’s chief of staff when he was VP. Additionally, Mr Klain served as chief of staff to Al Gore when he was VP. During his tenure as Joe Biden’s chief of staff, he was instrumental in the economic recovery post the fallout from global financial crisis and was also pivotal in the administration’s response to the Ebola crisis.
Reportedly, it is this experience that positioned Mr Klain as the front-runner for the role. President-Elect Biden said in a statement “His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again.” Mr Klain further echoed Biden’s sentiments of unity – “I look forward to helping him and the Vice President-elect assemble a talented and diverse team to work in the White House, as we tackle their ambitious agenda for change, and seek to heal the divides in our country.” 2
Prior to politics, Mr Klain graduated from Harvard Law School in 1987 and was the editor of the Harvard Law Review. He then went on to serve as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White. Following this, Klain was appointed by then-Senator Biden to serve as chief counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1989 to 1992. 3
“The chief of staff is generally the first job that a president-elect fills and is often someone close with and essential to the candidate’s campaign”, said Dr Aron D’Souza, Secretary of the Chief of Staff Association. “As such, it’s no surprise Biden chose his long time confidante Ron Klain and we wish them well in delivering on their message of rebuilding and reuniting America.”
  1. Bloomberg.com. Accessed November 30, 2020. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-20/biden-looking-to-longtime-aide-ron-klain-for-chief-of-staff.
  2. Zeleny, Jeff, and Dan Merica. “Biden Names Ron Klain as His White House Chief of Staff.” CNN. November 12, 2020. Accessed November 22, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/11/politics/biden-chief-of-staff/index.html.
  3. “The New Team.” The New York Times. Accessed November 24, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/44th_president/new_team/show/ronald-klain.