WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Wednesday appointed Sheila Nix — who lived in Oak Park before joining his administration in 2021 — to be chief of campaign staff for Vice President Kamala Harris.
It was a role that Nix, a deputy governor in Illinois, knew only too well.
Nix has a long bond with Joe and Jill Biden.
In President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, which was headquartered in Chicago, Nix was the chief campaign staff for then Vice President Biden.
Nix is the chief of staff for Dr. Jill Biden from April 2013 to the last day of the Obama/Biden administration, January 20, 2017.
In 2020, Nix served as chief of the campaign staff for Senator Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who was selected to run for Biden.
Nix, currently chief of staff to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, will join the 2024 Biden-Harris re-election campaign in July.
“Sheila Nix is a battle-tested leader and dedicated public servant, and I am grateful she has agreed to join our 2024 campaign,” Harris said in a statement.
“Sheila is no stranger to the Biden-Harris campaign or team. Sheila's strategic sense and ability to navigate challenges made her an invaluable advisor to me on our 2020 election team. President Biden and I will continue to rely on Sheila's advice and expertise.”
Nix told the Sun-Times that the campaign work came up “because I've worked with the vice president before, I feel like I've developed quite a bit of expertise on the vice president's side.”
Nix, along with Democrat Chris Dunn, is the leader of the 2020 Illinois Biden campaign.
Prior to joining the Biden administration, Nix was president of Tusk Philanthropies. Nix and Brad Tusk, who founded the nonprofit, served together in the former Governor's administration. Rod Blagojevich, where Nix was deputy governor. He later became the US executive director of Bono's ONE Campaign.
Nix is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School with a bachelor's degree from Creighton University. He grew up on the Palatine and is a graduate of Palatine High School.
Nix said he expected Harris to be deployed to the battlefront state and would focus on, among other issues, reproductive rights. June 24 marks one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections allowing abortion. He will also work on gun safety and highlight the accomplishments of the Biden White House, such as the infrastructure bill.
“In this work, I hope to help voters understand the difficult choices before them in the 2024 presidential election,” Nix said.