Julie Chávez Rodriguez

Julie Chávez Rodriguez (born April 7, 1978)[1] is an American political rights activist and campaign manager for the Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign. She grew up in California in a well-known family of American labor and civil rights activists, the granddaughter of American labor leader, César Chávez and American labor activist Helen Fabela Chávez. From 2008 to 2016, Chávez Rodriguez served in the Obama administration, initially working for the United States Secretary of the Interior and later in the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Julie Chávez Rodriguez
Senior Advisor to the President
In office
June 15, 2022 – May 16, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byCedric Richmond
Succeeded byTom Perez[lower-alpha 1]
Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
In office
January 20, 2021 – May 16, 2023
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyGabe Amo
Preceded byDouglas Hoelscher
Succeeded byTom Perez
Personal details
Born (1978-04-07) April 7, 1978
Delano, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
RelativesCesar Chávez (grandfather)
Helen Fabela Chávez (grandmother)
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BS)

She was appointed state director for Senator Kamala Harris in 2016. She later served on the Kamala Harris 2020 presidential campaign from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, Chávez Rodriguez was hired by the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign as senior advisor for Latino outreach. Chávez Rodriguez was appointed to be the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs by President Joe Biden, and took office on January 20, 2021.

On June 15, 2022, ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, President Biden promoted her to be a senior advisor to the president, a senior staff position. She will continue to serve as director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. On April 25, 2023, it was announced that Chávez Rodriguez would serve as campaign manager of the Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign.

Early life and education

Rodriguez was born in Delano, California.[2] She was raised in Tehachapi in a family of well-known labor activists affiliated with the United Farm Workers of America organization. She is the daughter of Linda Chávez Rodriguez and Arturo Rodriguez, and the granddaughter of American labor activist, Helen Fabela Chávez, and American labor leader, César Chávez. Her parents were full time volunteers for the UFWA. Rodriguez would often attend labor rallies with her parents and grandparents and assist them in UFWA community outreach activities.[1] Rodriguez attended Tehachapi High School, and later attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Latin American Studies.[3] During her summer breaks, Rodriguez worked at the AFL–CIO. She also spent summers volunteering with the UFWA, organizing strawberry pickers in Watsonville, California.[2]

Career

From 2001 to 2008, Rodriguez worked as a program director at the Cesar Chavez Foundation.[4] She worked as a full-time volunteer for the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama in Colorado. In 2009, Rodriguez was hired by the Obama administration, initially working as Director of Youth Employment and later as Deputy Press Secretary to former United States Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.[2][5] From 2011 to 2017, Rodriguez served at the White House Office of Public Engagement as deputy director of public engagement and later served as Special Assistant to President Obama. Her work as deputy director initially involved immigration and Latino outreach, and evolved over time into the management of the White House's outreach program to Latino, LGBT, veteran, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Muslim, youth, education and progressive communities.[1][6][7]

On December 11, 2016, Rodríguez was appointed by California Senator Kamala Harris to serve as her state director.[7] In 2017, Rodriguez was hired by the Kamala Harris 2020 presidential campaign and served on the campaign until Harris withdrew her candidacy in late-2019. Rodriguez initially served as co-national political director and later took on the role of the campaign's traveling chief of staff.[1][8] In 2020, Rodriquez was hired by the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign as senior advisor to oversee Latino outreach. She was the highest-ranking Latina who worked for the campaign.[9][10]

Rodriguez was appointed to be the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs by President Joe Biden, and took office on January 20, 2021.[11] On April 25, 2023, it was announced that Rodriguez would serve as Campaign Manager and Quentin Fulks would serve as Principal Deputy Campaign Manager for Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign.[12][13] This is the first time a Latina and African American man were selected to run the campaign of an incumbent president.[12]

See also

Notes
  1. Also succeeds Neera Tanden

References
  1. Reyes, Paul A. (March 31, 2015). "Cesar Chavez Day: Julie Chavez Rodriguez On Grandfather's Legacy". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. Parsons, Christi (April 2014). "Cesar Chavez's legacy is at work in the White House". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  3. Rodriguez, Julie Chavez (March 28, 2014). "The Legacy Continues". Center for Latin American Studies Univ of Calif Berkeley. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  4. Ritz, Mary Kay. "Memories of Cesar". Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  5. "Julie Chavez Rodriguez". Aspen Institute. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  6. "Search Results Web results Biden hires Cesar Chávez granddaughter, Kamala Harris aide". San Jose Mercury News. May 19, 2020. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  7. "Senator-Elect Kamala Harris Announces Appointment of Julie Chavez Rodriguez as California State Director". Kamala Harris U.S. Senator for California. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. "Kamala Harris for the People". Organization of Kamala Harris. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  9. "Biden hires Chávez granddaughter to help on Latino outreach". Detroit News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  10. Peña, Maria (May 23, 2020). "Biden names Julie Chávez Rodríguez, César Chávez's granddaughter, as top Latina on team". NBC news online. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  11. Bradner, Eric (November 17, 2020). "Biden builds out White House senior staff with top campaign advisers". CNN. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  12. Pager, Tyler (April 24, 2023). "Biden team plans television ads after Tuesday reelection announcement". Washington Post.
  13. Kapos, Shia (April 25, 2023). "Duckworth, Fulks join team Biden". POLITICO. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
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