As a part of his commitment to restructuring the Democratic National Committee, Chair Tom Perez announced today new additions to his senior leadership team.  He has brought on Amanda Brown Lierman as Political and Organizing Director, Laura Chambers as Chief Operating Officer, Sam Cornale as Chief of Staff, Will Hailer as Senior Advisor, and Emily Mellencamp Smith as Finance Director.

“Just as I have committed to rebuilding our party from the ground up, I’m also deeply dedicated to putting together the best team possible to lead our party,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez.  “The new additions to our leadership will play an essential role in reaching our goal of electing Democrats up and down the ballot, from the school board to the Senate. We have a tough fight ahead of us, but I have full confidence that every single one of these women and men are ready for challenge to get our country back on the right track.”

Amanda Brown Lierman is joining the Democratic National Committee as the Political and Organizing Director where she will lead the DNC’s political operation and grassroots organizing efforts, as well as build a team that will be a resource for campaigns across the country. Prior to joining the DNC, Amanda was the Campaign Director for the For Our Future Action Fund and For Our Future.  Amanda worked in the Obama Administration through 2011 — first on the President’s Transition Team and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, then as the Assistant to the Director in the White House Office of Political Affairs, and then as the Advisor for Strategic Planning at the U.S. Department of Energy. Amanda left the Administration in 2011 to join Rock the Vote.  As the National Political Director, she oversaw the organization’s civic engagement programming during the 2012 presidential election cycle and led a national advocacy and public awareness campaign for voter registration modernization.  Amanda also served as the Executive Director of the National Women's Business Council, where she worked to better the business climate for women.

Laura Chambers is joining the Democratic National Committee as the Chief Operating Officer where she will run the daily operations of the DNC. Laura brings to the DNC a wealth of knowledge from a distinguished career at Peace Corps and in NGO management and advocacy. Most recently, Laura served as Chief of Staff of the Peace Corps. She has also worked in senior positions at the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), Global AIDS Alliance, and Civic Ventures. At AARP, she served as the Director of Field Services for Experience Corps, a national program dedicated to providing tutors aged 50 and older to underserved children. As Deputy Executive Director of Management for the Global AIDS Alliance, Laura managed operations and staff in the United States and six Sub-Saharan African countries, as well as a grant program dedicated to ending pediatric AIDS. As well, Laura served as Chief Operating Officer for Civic Ventures, an organization dedicated to engaging baby boomers as a workforce for change in “encore” careers.

Sam Cornale is joining the Democratic National Committee as the Chief of Staff where he will serve as a senior strategist and the top deputy to the CEO on day-to-day management of the organization.  He will also oversee opinion research and the integration of traditional and digital communications with the creation of the first ever Mobilization Department. Sam will also oversee the DNC’s investments in technology, analytics, and data. Sam is a longtime aide to Tom Perez and most recently served as Campaign Manager for Tom’s campaign for Chair of the Democratic Party. Before that, he worked as the Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Labor Secretary Tom Perez at the U.S. Department of Labor.  He has spent the last eight years working for President Barack Obama and his administration in a variety of roles.

Will Hailer is joining the Democratic National Committee as the Senior Advisor where he will represent and advance the agenda of the Chair and officers internally and externally, be a liaison to stakeholders on behalf of the Chair including labor, progressive groups and organizations, Democrats Abroad, and state parties. Will’s responsibilities also include coordination of strategic and grassroots initiatives that build, empower, and support activists in every zip code by strengthening state parties and coordinating campaign tables and tools of activists and candidates running across the country. These efforts will not only build electoral success in 2018, but they will also strengthen the impact the Democratic Party has on everyday lives of Americans. Will has been working on the DNC Transition Team and previously served as the National Political Director for Keith Ellison’s campaign for Chair. Will also served as the Executive Director for the Texas Democratic Party and understands the challenges that are confronting state parties across the country.

Emily Mellencamp Smith is joining the Democratic National Committee as Finance Director, where she will oversee the expansion of the Finance Department that will grow to 30 staffers and add a new multi-channel grassroots fundraising effort. Emily Mellencamp Smith is a veteran Democratic fundraiser having worked on campaigns at all levels across the country for nearly a decade. Most recently, Mellencamp Smith built the fundraising operation for then-Governor Maggie Hassan’s successful 2016 Senate campaign against Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte. Prior to that, she served as Finance Director for Senator Al Franken's reelection campaign.  Previously, Mellencamp Smith served as Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.  She has held senior fundraising roles on campaigns for Senate, Congress, Governor, and Mayor.