Senator Harris Appoints Three Women of Color to Key Positions
U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Monday announced the hiring of three staff members, all women of color. Heather Hutt has been appointed as State Director, Deanne Millison will serve as Legislative Director, and Meaghan Lynch has been named Press Secretary.
“I am thrilled to have Heather, Deanne, and Meaghan on my team,” said Senator Harris. “Each of these women are experienced public servants, and I am confident they will serve the people of California well.”
Heather Hutt has been named State Director for Senator Harris. A Los Angeles, California native, Hutt joined Senator Harris’ office in 2017 to work as Harris’ Southern California Deputy State Director and in 2018 was promoted to Deputy State Director where she worked on Senator Harris’ community town halls, civic engagement, and liaising with key leaders. She is currently organizing Maternal Morbidity roundtables with health care professionals to discuss implicit bias in health care throughout the state to amplify Senator Harris’ Maternal CARE Act legislation.
Prior to working for Senator Harris, Hutt was the District Director for California State Senator Isadore Hall in California’s 35th Senate District. Prior to accepting her position in government, she was a founding partner in The Hutt Group, a marketing, branding, and event production company. Her work has been recognized by the California State Democratic Party African American Caucus for “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” as the first African-American Deputy State Director for the U.S. Senate in California’s history. In 2018, New Frontier Democratic Club honored Hutt with the “Emerging Leaders Award.”
Deanne Millison has been newly hired as Legislative Director for Senator Harris. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director for the Legislative Council and Government Affairs Team (LCGA) in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Chicago. Prior to joining the City of Chicago, Millison served as the Legislative Director and Oversight Investigations Counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services, where the Honorable Maxine Waters, served as Ranking Member.
Before taking the leadership role with the House Democratic Financial Services Committee, she served as Counsel for other Congressional Committees including the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. Millison started her legal career at the law firm of Jenner & Block, and later clerked for the Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman. She received her B.A. in Political Science with Honors and a minor in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is also a proud fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago.
Meaghan Lynch has been named Press Secretary for Senator Harris. Prior to joining Senator Harris’ office, Lynch served as Communications Director and Counsel for U.S. Representative G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), Chief Deputy Whip for the House Democratic Caucus and former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Lynch began her career in the office of Congressman Butterfield as an intern. Prior to taking her place in public service, Lynch worked as senior associate at a strategic communications firm in Washington, DC. A North Carolina native, Lynch graduated with honors from North Carolina State University with bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Communications. She received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and is a member of the Maryland State Bar.
