Jen O'Malley Dillon

Jennifer Brigid O'Malley Dillon (born September 28, 1976) is an American political strategist and campaign manager serving as the White House deputy chief of staff under President Joe Biden. She was the manager of Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, having served as manager of Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign of the same year. She is the first female presidential campaign manager for a winning Democratic ticket. Early life and education O'Malley Dillon's great-grandparents were Irish Catholic immigrants from Gorumna Island, County Galway. Born in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, she has three siblings. Her parents are Kevin O'Malley, a school administrator, and Kathleen O'Malley. When O'Malley Dillon was a child the family relocated from Jamaica Plain to Franklin, Massachusetts, to be closer to her father's job. O'Malley Dillon attended Tufts University, where she majored in political science and was captain of the university's softball team. In 1998, she earned her bachelor's degree. O'Malley Dillon decided she wanted to work in politics while on a family vacation to Washington, D.C. Career O'Malley Dillon's first role in politics was answering phones for Massachusetts attorney general Scott Harshbarger. She joined Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign as a field organizer in 1999 and rose to become a regional field director by the end of the campaign. She worked as a field director for the U.S. Senate campaigns of Tim Johnson and Mary Landrieu. In 2003, she worked as Iowa field director for John Edwards's 2004 presidential campaign, and, after Edwards left the race, became deputy campaign manager for Senator Tom Daschle's reelection campaign.