Another one bites the dust! Kamala Harris director of public engagement leaves role as Biden’s White House leaves 34 senior staffers
- Michael Collins announced his retirement in a letter to staff and left his post after just 16 months
- “It was a difficult decision but I made the decision to leave this amazing experience in mid-August,” he reportedly wrote
- His resignation comes as more than 30 other Biden Admiration employees have left
- Most departures are due to people taking on different roles, while some reportedly feel there is little room for upward movement in the administration
Vice President Kamala Harris sees another staff attrition as her director of public engagement officially resigned after more than 30 staffers left the Biden administration.
After 16 months in office, Michael Collins announced his departure in a letter to employees.
“It was a difficult decision, but I made the decision to leave this amazing experience in mid-August and move on to the next phase of my life,” he wrote, according to CNN.
“I am so grateful to the Vice President for entrusting me with this privilege and it has been an honor to support the tireless, dedicated and historic work of the President and Vice President.”
His departure comes just weeks after Harris lost two other senior assistants, Meghan Groob and Rohini Kosoglu, who was her longest-serving.
Michael Collins – VP Kamala Harris’ director of public engagement – announced his resignation after 16 months in office in a letter to staff
Harris has seen several aides leave since taking the vice presidency. Collins said he was “so grateful to the Vice President for entrusting me with this privilege and honored to support the tireless, dedicated and historic work of the President and the Vice President.”
Kosoglu served as her domestic policy adviser and had previously served as her senior adviser during the transition period and as her chief of staff during her Senate days.
Groob was head of speechwriting and left her post after just four months.
Additionally, First Lady Jill Biden’s press secretary, Michael DeRosa, is leaving his post at the White House amid a spate of departures of communications staff.
LaRosa’s departure came as no surprise, a White House official told CNN, claiming that the East Wing had known of his resignation for several weeks. His renewal in the First Lady’s office was due to a desire to assist LaRosa on three high-profile trips abroad.
One person familiar with the next steps said LaRosa is staying in DC to join public affairs firm Hamilton Place Strategies as chief executive.
The First Lady’s office is already interviewing candidates to replace him.
The recent staff departure continues to fuel speculation about staffing issues at the White House, particularly when it comes to the executive communications team.
Earlier this summer, Biden lost his press secretary, Jen Psaki, and her chief of staff, Amanda Finney, followed her out the door. Shortly thereafter, in early July, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield left the administration, but sources told CNN on Friday that her resignation had been reversed.
Most departures from the White House so far have come as people have filled different roles, while some staffers reportedly feel there is little room for movement or promotion up the administration.
The first notable departure came in December 2021, when Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief spokeswoman, Symone Sanders, announced her departure. She landed on MSNBC with a self-titled show.
A pattern quickly emerged of staffers leaving the White House communications businesses. This ranges from the highest officials with Psaki and Bedingfiled to mid-level staffers like Deputy Speaker Vedant Patel and lower-level staffers like Press Assistant Michael Kikukawa and
Among the employees who have quit is former press secretary Jen Psaki (pictured in March). Many departures come as people fill different roles, amid reports that some feel there is little room for upward movement in the administration
In the weeks and months following early 2022, Harris’ senior associates Tina Flournoy, Ashley Etienne and Vincent Evans all left the company — as did their head of public engagement, Cedric Richmond.
Biden’s administration has a higher turnover rate than its two previous predecessors.
After Obama’s first year in the presidency, he had a four percent turnover rate and Trump had one percent, the Washington Examiner reported.
The Biden administration records a 15 percent drop.
Some have dubbed the mass exodus “Blaxit” after it became clear that an overwhelming number of black employee departures had occurred.
Black staffers who have left the White House over the course of a few months include public engagement staffer Carissa Smith; gender policy advisor Kalisha Dessources Figures; Linda Etim, Executive Director of the National Security Council; Cameron Trimble, Director of Digital Engagement; and Associate Counsel Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo.