WASHINGTON, D.C. - The day after being sworn in to the 111th Congress, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today announced two major staff changes to his personal D.C. office.

David Wade, the Senator's current Deputy Chief of Staff and the former National Press Secretary for both Senator Kerry and VP-Elect Joe Biden during their respective national campaigns, will return to Kerry's office as his Chief of Staff. Jodi Seth, former Communications Director for Chairman John D. Dingell on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, will join Kerry's staff as Communications Director.

"This new Congress faces an incredibly challenging time in our nation's history," said Sen. Kerry. "We must work tirelessly to tackle global climate change and energy issues, finally make health care affordable for every American, and get our economy moving again. I'm incredibly confident that our staff, led by my long time advisor and friend David Wade, will fight hard to serve the people of Massachusetts and our country."

Wade first came to work for Sen. Kerry as a Speechwriter in 1997 after his graduation from Brown University where he majored in Political Science. He went on to serve Kerry in the Senate as Communications Director before traveling the country on Kerry's presidential campaign as National Press Secretary. Time Magazine described him as having "logged more miles with the candidate than any other adviser."

After a stint as Kerry's Deputy Chief of Staff, Wade was tapped as Press Secretary for the 2008 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, working first at Obama for America headquarters in Chicago and then traveling the country with Senator Joe Biden. A Connecticut native and son of a public school teacher, Wade was named a 1996 Harry S Truman Scholar, and first broke into politics as a Member of the D.N.C. Executive Committee, National President of the College Democrats of America, and speaker at the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

Jodi Seth most recently served as chief spokesperson and communications director for Chairman John D. Dingell on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where she managed a communications team which served the full committee and six subcommittees. Before her six year stint with the Committee, she worked as communications director in the personal office of Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. This is a return to the Senate for Seth, who moved to Washington, D.C. to work as deputy press secretary for her home state senator Jack Reed in 1997 and then served as press secretary to former Senator Robert Torricelli. Seth has a BA in Communications from Rhode Island College and an MA in Journalism from American University.

 

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