LANSING – House Democratic Leader-elect Christine Greig (Farmington Hills) today announced her senior staff team for the 2019-2020 legislative session.
Nathan Triplett will serve as democratic legal counsel, Aaron Keel as deputy chief of staff, Coffiann Hawthorne as policy director, and Samantha Hart as communications director and press secretary. Jack Schmitt will continue serving as interim chief of staff through the end of January at which time a permanent chief of staff will be announced.
“As we look forward to the 100th Legislature, I am thrilled to have these dedicated and hardworking public servants on my team,” said Greig. “For the last two years, their advice and counsel built support for the most aggressive and successful House Democratic agenda in years. I trust this team — and the people of Michigan can trust them to make sure we get the job done for working families.”
Triplett currently serves as the democratic legal counsel for the House Democrats. He previously served as the director of public policy and political action for Equality Michigan and was formerly the Mayor of East Lansing and President of the Michigan Municipal League.
Keel is the current deputy chief of staff for the caucus. He previously served as the assistant director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards and legislative director for both former state Representative Rudy Hobbs and state Representative Robert Wittenberg.
Hawthorne has served as the caucus policy director since 2016. She returned to the House Democratic Policy Department in 2012 after working both in private law practice and for former Gov. Granholm.
Hart has served as the communications director and press secretary for the House Democrats since 2017. Previously, Hart was the press secretary for Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and served as a legislative aide and campaign director for the Indiana House of Representatives.