Reema Dodin

Reema Dodin is an American political advisor who is the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs in the Biden administration. Upon taking office, she became the highest ranking Palestinian-American woman to serve in the Executive Office of the President of the United States.[1] She is the former deputy chief of staff and floor director for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.

Reema Dodin
Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
Serving with Shuwanza Goff & Chris Slevin
PresidentJoe Biden
LeaderLouisa Terrell
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
BornNorth Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (JD)

Early life and education

Reema Dodin was born in North Carolina.[2] Her parents, Bajis and Samia Dodin, are Jordanian Palestinian.[1][3] Dodin's parents immigrated in the 1960s from Dura, Hebron in the West Bank.[4] Her grandfather is Mustafa Dodin, a social affairs minister in Jordan who was involved Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in the 1970s.[5]

Dodin earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in political science and economics in 2002.[3][6] While there, she participated in pro-Palestinian activism.[1] In 2006, Dodin interned in Dick Durbin's office.[7] That same year, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[4][6][8]

She volunteered for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.[7][9] Dodin also worked as an emergency medical technician in Israel.[2]

Career

Dodin returned to work for senator Dick Durbin after graduation. In 2006, she started working as a research assistant for Durbin. The following year, in 2007, she became a legislative aide for the senator, followed by research director in 2008. In 2009, she became floor counsel for Durbin.[6] She also worked as an Durbin's aide for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary's subcommittee on human rights. Dodin currently serves as deputy chief of staff and floor director for Dick Durbin, as position she started in 2011.[6][10] She volunteered for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign focusing on voter rights.[7][10] In 2017, she co-authored Inside Congress: A Guide for Navigating the Politics of the House and Senate Floors published by the Brookings Institution.[1] She is also a fellow for the Truman National Security Project and the New Leaders Council.[10]

Dodin is affiliated with the Council on American–Islamic Relations, which she joined as a student at Berkeley, where she was also a member of the Muslim Students' Association.[11]

In November 2020, Dodin began working, as a volunteer, on the presidential transition of Joe Biden, overseeing legislative engagement between the transition and Capitol Hill lawmakers.[10][12]

Dodin was named Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, alongside Shuwanza Goff, for the Biden administration in November 2020.[7] Her role in the Biden administration makes her the highest ranking Palestinian-American woman to serve in the Executive Office of the President of the United States.[1]

Works
  • Dodin, Reema, Trevor Corning, and Kyle Nevins. Inside Congress: A Guide for Navigating the Politics of the House and Senate Floors. Washington: Brookings Institution (2017). ISBN 0815727321

References
  1. "Biden taps Palestinian-American as deputy legislative director". Times of Israel. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  2. Grudin, Nicholas (April 24, 2002). "UC student gives Palestinian perspective". Lodi News. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  3. Karam, Joyce (November 24, 2020). "Reema Dodin is first Arab-American named in Joe Biden's White House". The National News. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  4. "Palestinian family 'happy' as daughter on Biden's team". Yeni Şafak. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  5. Joffre, Tzvi (November 25, 2020). "Reema Dodin to be first Palestinian-American White House staffer". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  6. Struglinksi, Suzanne; Young, Samantha (April 29, 2013). The Almanac of the Unelected, 2013: Staff of the U.S. Congress. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press. p. 381. ISBN 978-1598886313. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  7. Jansen, Bart (November 23, 2020). "Biden names 2 White House staffers to help negotiate legislation with Congress". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  8. November 23; McClure, 2020 / 12:10pm / Julie. "Reema Dodin, a U of I College of Law grad, has been added to Biden's senior staff : SPlog : Smile Politely". www.smilepolitely.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  9. Khouri, Samar (November 24, 2020). "Arab-American Reema Dodin Named White House Deputy Director Of Legislative Affairs". Forbes Middle East. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  10. "Biden appoints Jordanian-American Reema Dodin as White House Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs". Roya News. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  11. "Biden Appoints Anti-Israel Palestinian to Liaison with Congress on Legislation". The Jewish Press. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  12. "Biden names Reema Dodin, Shuwanza Goff to legislative affairs team". KUSA. Associated Press. November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
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