Columbia Law Alumni, Faculty, and Scholars Join the Biden Administration

Since President Joe Biden took office, on January 20, 2021, members of the Columbia Law community, including faculty and alumni, have been appointed to serve in his administration. Meet some of the newest leaders in Washington. 

Julissa Reynoso ’01: Incoming assistant to the president; Chief of Staff to Jill Biden; Co-chair, White House Gender Policy Council

Julissa Reynoso ’01 has been named co-chair (along with Jennifer Klein ’90, above) of the newly formed White House Gender Policy Council and is the incoming assistant to the president and chief of staff to Jill Biden. She was previously a partner at the law firm Winston & Strawn LLP and served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and as deputy assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere in the State Department during the Obama administration. Reynoso also has served on the board of trustees at Columbia University and, in 2018, delivered the keynote speech at the Law School’s Alumni of Color Talk and Reception. 

Avril Haines: Director, National Intelligence

Avril Haines was confirmed as the director of national intelligence and is the first woman to hold the top U.S. intelligence role. She is a former lecturer at Columbia Law and a former senior research scholar with the Human Rights Institute and the National Security Law Program. She is also on leave from her role as deputy director of the Columbia Worlds Project. Haines served as CIA deputy director during the Obama administration. 

Antony Blinken ’88: Secretary of State

Antony Blinken ’88 was confirmed on January 26 as secretary of state with bipartisan approval in the Senate (the final vote was 78–22). He brings decades of experience serving in high-level government positions. During the Obama administration, Blinken served as assistant to the president, deputy secretary of state, and principal deputy national security advisor. He was the top aide to Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was his national security advisor when Biden was vice president. Earlier in his career, Blinken was a member of President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council staff, special assistant to the president, senior director for European Affairs, and special assistant to the president and senior director for speechwriting and then strategic planning. Blinken received Columbia Law School’s Medal for Excellence in 2016. He is a member of the Law School’s Public Interest/Public Service Council—a group of senior alumni who are experts and leaders in the public interest and government sectors.  

See the full list at Columbia Law School News.