VP Kamala Harris Taps Jamal Simmons as Communications Director

By Teddy Grant Published: January 7, 2022

VP Kamala Harris Taps Jamal Simmons as Communications Director

10.28.15 FCC Connect2Health Task Force Beyond the Beltway Series – Detroit, MI Silas Buchanan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Institute for eHealth Equity, Dr. Adam Perzynski, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Center for Health Care Research and Policy, MetroHealth and Case Western Reserve University, and Jamal Simmons, Co-Chair, Internet Innovations Alliance, discuss how urban policies can influence health across sectors.

In Summary

Jamal Simmons will serve as the vice president’s top communication official.

Vice President Kamala Harris has tapped Jamal Simmons as her communications director, The Hill reported.

Simmons, who’s worked as a communications aide for the Democratic party, has a long history in national politics dating back to the Clinton administration.

In addition to working for the Clinton administration, he helped elect former President Barack Obama and appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and more, according to reports.

The news of his hiring comes after multiple reports detailing dysfunction in Harris’ office.

Harris’ former communication director, Ashley Etienne, stepped down from her position in 2020.

Symone Sanders, who served as the vice president’s chief spokesperson and senior adviser, also left the administration at the end of last year, with sources telling CNN at the time, “The President and vice president are grateful for Symone’s service and advocacy for this White House. She is a valued member, a team player, and she will be missed. We are grateful to have her working through the end of the year.”

Regarding Simmons, Democratic strategist Karen Finney told The Hill that his addition to Harris’ staff is an “excellent move for a host of reasons.”

“Having worked in media, working as a consultant, he’s done campaigns, he’s worked on the Hill. He’s a seasoned communicator and his professional career is very diverse and he has a unique expertise that he brings. It gives him a lot of resources to draw upon,” she said.