Sheila Nix is an American attorney and political strategist who served as Chief of Staff to Jill Biden, the Second Lady of the United States from April 2013 to January 2017.[1]
Sheila Nix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief of Staff to the Second Lady | |
| In office April 2013 – January 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Succeeded by | Kristan King Nevins |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Creighton University (BSBA) University of Chicago (JD) |
Early life and education
editNix was raised in Portage Park, Chicago and Palatine, Illinois.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in accounting from Creighton University and Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School.[3][4]
Career
editNix was an associate at Arnold & Porter LLP from 1989 to 1991. From 1992 to 1999, Nix worked for Senator Bob Kerrey, holding positions as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director. As legislative director, she focused on developing policy for the Senator, especially on healthcare issues. She also served as the Budget Director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Prior to that, she worked on Bob Kerrey's presidential campaign in 1991 and 1992.[5]
From 2004 to 2008, she was one of two deputy governors in the administration of Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, but departed before he was accused and then convicted of trying to sell then President-elect Barack Obama's senate seat.[6][5][7]
Nix had served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, where she was responsible for setting up his Washington, D.C. and Florida operations and managing a staff of fifty.[8] Senator Nelson served on the Foreign Relations, Armed Services, Budget and Commerce Committees. She was also policy director and chief of staff in Blair Hull’s Democratic primary campaign against the then-Senator Barack Obama.[9]
She previously served as campaign Chief of Staff to Vice President Biden. She was based in Chicago at the Obama for America headquarters for the 2012 presidential campaign.[10] From 2009 to 2012, she was executive director of Bono's The ONE Campaign,[11] a global advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and working with political leaders to support effective policies and programs that save lives. She was responsible for ONE's advocacy, communications, and campaign activities in the United States.[12]
In 2019, Nix became an advisor on the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.[13] In August 2020, it was announced that Nix would serve as a senior advisor for vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris.[14][15]
Since 2021, Nix has acted as the chief of staff to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.[16][17][18]
In 2023, it was announced that Nix would serve as campaign Chief of Staff to Vice President Harris for the 2024 campaign.[19] She would likely be touring swing states to highlight reproductive rights and gun safety initiatives.[20][21][22]
Personal life
editNix and her husband, an attorney, have three children. After the end of the Obama administration, Nix and her family returned to Illinois.[23]
References
edit- ^ "Dr. Jill Biden Announces Sheila Nix as Chief of Staff". whitehouse.gov. April 10, 2013.
- ^ "Sheila Nix, '89: A Top Aide to Biden, Bono, and Blago Comes Home | University of Chicago Law School". www.law.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ "Sheila Nix". whitehouse.gov. 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ "Sheila Nix". whitehouse.gov. 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ a b "Nix leaving deputy governor post". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Post, AP/The Huffington (June 27, 2011). "Blagojevich GUILTY: Jury Convicts Rod Blagojevich On 17 Of 20 Counts". HuffPost.
- ^ "press-release". www.illinois.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "A Top Aide to Biden, Bono, and Blago Comes Home". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "Former Blagojevich Aide Set to Join ONE". Roll Call. 2009-04-27. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "Former Blago Deputy Governor Joins Obama-Biden Team". 27 March 2012.
- ^ "Sheila Nix". huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-09.
- ^ "Sheila Nix". The Hill. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Kelley, Savannah (2019-05-17). "Biden adviser Sheila Nix calls for unity in Democratic Party". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- ^ "Biden taps Chicagoan for top staff job". Crain's Chicago Business. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Sheridan, Stacey (2020-08-14). "Biden appoints Oak Parker to Harris' senior staff". Oak Park. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Samuels, Brett (2023-06-22). "Former Biden aide to serve as Harris' chief of staff on 2024 campaign". The Hill. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "U.S. Department of Education Announces Biden-Harris Appointees | U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ "Biographies of Senior Officials -- U.S. Department of Education". www2.ed.gov. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Sweet, Lynn (2023-06-22). "Biden names Oak Park's Sheila Nix to be Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign chief of staff". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Cai, Sophia (2023-06-21). "Scoop: VP Harris gets campaign chief of staff". Axios.
- ^ Schorsch, Peter (2023-06-22). "Joe Biden 2024 campaign taps Sheila Nix as VP Kamala Harris' Chief of Staff". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Wright, Jasmine (2023-06-24). "Kamala Harris found her voice on abortion rights in the year after Dobbs. Now she's making it central to her 2024 message | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
- ^ Perks, Ashley (2015-07-29). "Sheila Nix". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
