More White House staffers named

More White House staffers named

by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor February 23, 2009 05:18 PM

Five more politicos and officials with Massachusetts ties are joining the Obama White House.

Macon Phillips, who came out of Blue State Digital -- the Boston start-up that created Obama's unprecedented online operation during the campaign -- will be director of new media after playing a similar role during the campaign.

Amy Brundage, a former press aide to Senator John F. Kerry, a Rockport native, and Holy Cross grad, will be regional communications director.

And Gannet Tseggai, a former deputy press secretary to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, will also be a regional communications manager.

"Each of these individuals brings deep expertise in their fields, and a strong commitment to public service. I am confident in their abilities to fill these roles with distinction, and I welcome them to our team as we begin the work of bringing the change that the American people need in these troubled times,” Obama said in a statement.

Late this afternoon, the White House also named April Boyd, former national press secretary for Kerry, as its nominee for assistant secretary for legislative and intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Commerce.

Also late today, the White House nominated Kathleen A. Merrigan, a professor at Tufts University, to be deputy agriculture secretary.

Their mini biographies, provided by the White House, are below.

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OMG everybody! We won! We did it! Obama announced today that he will nominate Kathleen A. Merrigan for Deputy Secretary of the USDA. She was among the Sustainable Dozen requested as high level USDA appointees by the Food Democracy Now campaign. I just dug through some of her past publications (detailed below) and she's a dream come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!