Today, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Executive Director Sam Cornale announced additions to the Democratic National Committee’s communications team. Ammar Moussa has been hired as Rapid Response Director, and Adonna Biel has been named Deputy Rapid Response Director. Lucas Acosta has been brought on as Coalitions Director and Senior Spokesperson, and Brooke Goren has been named States Communications Director. Hyma Moore will be Regional Press Secretary, Allyson Bayless will serve as a Communications Associate, and Darcy Palder will serve as Press Assistant.

These new hires will join Cassidy Geoghegan, who has been promoted to Deputy States Communications Director; Daniel Wessel, who has been promoted to Deputy Communications Director; and Enrique Gutierrez, who has been promoted to Regional Press Secretary and Hispanic Media Adviser.

“We are thrilled to announce new additions to our team at the DNC,” said DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. “These new staff hires are among the best our party has to offer and will bring diversity, experience and strength to the Democratic Party. They will help us to deliver our message to the American people and expand on our success in 2021, 2022, and beyond.”

“The DNC continues to recruit top talent to meet the moment,” said DNC Executive Director Sam Cornale. “Our success as a party will depend in no small measure on our ability to message to the American people. The Democratic Party is the only party working on behalf of the American people, and these experienced communications staffers will help us to make that clear to voters in the months and years ahead.”

Lucas Acosta returns to the DNC after serving as Deputy Communications Director for Politics at the Human Rights Campaign. Previously, he led the DNC’s television and radio outreach as Director of Broadcast Media and served as National Radio Broadcast Manager for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Allyson Bayless was previously a Press Assistant for the DNC War Room, where she supported the party’s rapid response efforts during the 2020 election.

Adonna Biel most recently served as Deputy Press Secretary for the Biden-Harris campaign in North Carolina, after joining the communications team and helping lead Biden to victory in the primary election. Prior to that, she worked on the campaign communications team at EMILY’s List.

Cassidy Geoghegan previously served as the DNC’s battleground press secretary covering Southern states. Prior to joining the DNC, Geoghegan led communications and outreach efforts for Priorities USA in Wisconsin, and was deputy press secretary at Everytown for Gun Safety.

Enrique Gutierrez joined the DNC in 2018 and previously served as Hispanic Media Director. Prior to joining the DNC, he has served as communications director for Voto Latino and the Arizona Democratic Party.

Brooke Goren previously served as a Regional Press Secretary at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Prior to joining the DCCC, Brooke was Deputy Communications Director at the Missouri Democratic Party during the 2018 midterms and worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign in Brooklyn.

Hyma Moore served most recently as the Southern Regional Communications Director for the Biden-Harris campaign, leading teams in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina.  Prior to joining the Biden-Harris campaign, Hyma was the Vice President of External Affairs for Greater New Orleans, Inc, held official City government positions with Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and served on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Ammar Moussa has previously served in communications roles for Senators Jon Ossoff and John Hickenlooper’s campaigns for Senate as well as for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

Darcy Palder is a recent graduate of Georgetown University. She was previously an editorial intern at The Hill.com, a podcast producer at Foreign Policy Magazine and a news intern at BBC News. Originally from Chicago, she is returning to the DNC four years after serving as a communications intern.

Daniel Wessel joined the DNC in 2017 and previously served as Deputy War Room Director throughout the 2020 cycle. Prior to joining the DNC, Daniel served as Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in Virginia.

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Background on DNC Hires

The Democratic National Committee is building a robust and diverse communications team to hold Republicans accountable in 2022 and 2024, and promote the accomplishments of the Biden administration.

Over the course of the past month, the DNC communications team has executed an aggressive campaign to make sure Americans know help is here, thanks to President Biden and Democrats in Congress. Using earned and paid media, the DNC has driven home the clear contrast between Democrats, who delivered on their promise to get checks in banks and shots in arms, and Republicans, who opposed the most consequential piece of legislation for working families in modern American history.

The DNC produced a shareable guide to promoting the American Rescue Plan that includes message guidance, state-by-state and constituency fact sheets, state-by-state graphics, social media content, and more, billboards in Times Square and across the country, and dozens of training sessions for Democratic communicators.

The DNC’s work has been praised by pundits, the media, and voters. As Rachel Maddow said, “This marks kind of a new vibe for Democrats. For whatever reason, this time around, they want people to know who it is that’s getting stuff done. They’re trying to make sure the public also knows who isn’t helping, trying to increase the political cost for Republicans who are voting no against everything.”