NEWS

 

Davidson alumni Rebecca Rinkevich and Aisha Shah will be heading to the White House at the end of January, joining the Biden-Harris Office of Digital Strategy. Shah graduated in 2013 and Rinkevich in 2015.

The following paragraphs are pulled verbatim from the press release announcing the appointments:

Rebecca Rinkevich, Deputy Director of Digital Strategy – Rebecca Rinkevich was the Director of Digital Rapid Response for the Biden-Harris Campaign. Previously, Rinkevich was the Director of Political Programs at Bully Pulpit Interactive, where she ran the agency’s large electoral engagements and embedded with organizations as they scaled their digital operations. A native of Florida, Rinkevich graduated from Davidson College.

Aisha Shah, Partnerships Manager – Aisha Shah served as a Digital Partnerships Manager on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Shah currently serves as an Advancement Specialist for the Smithsonian Institution. Prior to this role, Shah worked as an Assistant Manager on the Corporate Fund of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, supporting the first-ever expansion of a presidential memorial. Shah also served as a Strategic Communications Specialist at Buoy, an integrated marketing firm that specializes in social impact communications, as well as Spitfire Strategies, where she enabled nonprofits to use pop culture as a tool for social change. Born in Kashmir and raised in Louisiana, Shah is a graduate of Davidson College.

Your News of Davidson team did some additional digital detective work to find out more about their time in Davidson.

Shah graduated in 2013, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature. She was a computer skills volunteer teacher at the Ada Jenkins Center, and studied abroad at the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain. Immediately following graduation, she was a Davidson “Impact Fellow” at the YES Prep Public Schools in Houston. In a blog post during her time as a fellow she highlighted the top 3 things that she was glad she learned at Davidson.

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help
• Being overwhelmed. . .it’s okay
• Working with Multiple Different Teams/Leaders

She expanded on each of the three – highlighting the importance of how they helped her transform as a student. A number of international media outlets have focused on the fact that while Shah was raised in Louisiana, she was born in Kashmir.

Rinkevich earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She played on the women’s soccer team, although an injury impacted her playing time. Rob Flaherty, he new Director of Digital Strategy, didn’t mince words on a recent tweet when he called her — “the second most influential former @DavidsonCollege athlete” Hmm, I wonder who number one might be?

Further, he highlighted her work on the campaign, noting that “she led the campaign’s misinformation mitigation, rapid response, and malarkey production efforts.”

Prior to her work on the Biden-Harris campaign, Rinkevich served as the Director of Political Programs at Bully Pulpit Interactive – a self-described “modern communications agency for brands, causes, and candidates.”

The News of Davidson team wishes these two Davidson alumni all the best as they prepare to take on the robust challenges that come with any assignment at The White House.

 

The full press release is provided below:

WASHINGTON (December 28, 2020)  – Today, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced members of the White House Office of Digital Strategy. These diverse, accomplished, and talented individuals demonstrate that the president and vice president-elect are building an administration that looks like America and is ready to deliver results on day one. A reflection of the critical role digital strategy plays in reaching the American people, the Biden-Harris White House will feature a robust digital team. In addition to amplifying and engaging users online through traditional measures, the White House Office of Digital Strategy will develop partnerships that are focused on extending the president-elect’s reach beyond his own social platforms.

“Communicating transparently and honestly with the American people is one of the most important responsibilities of a President. This team of diverse experts has a wide range of experience in digital strategy and will help connect the White House to the American people in new and innovative ways. They bring a shared commitment to building our nation back better, and I am thrilled to have them on our team,” said President-elect Joe Biden.

“Digital communities and online spaces have taken on even more importance in the wake of the pandemic. We’re building a team to speak to the lived experiences of all Americans. With much of our lives online, it is critical for this administration’s digital efforts to be inclusive and extensive,” said Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

“Digital outreach will be a key pillar of the Biden-Harris Administration’s engagement with the public. By bringing a talented team of digital strategists to the White House, we will ensure a robust dialogue with the American people, wherever they are,” said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

Biographies of the appointees are listed below in alphabetical order:

Brendan Cohen, Platform Manager – Brendan Cohen served as the Deputy Director of Editorial on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to that, he was a Senior Platform Strategist on the Biden for President primary campaign. Cohen previously served as the Digital Director for Governor Evers’ gubernatorial campaign in Wisconsin, as Digital Director for Dan Koh’s congressional campaign in Massachusetts, and worked at New Blue Interactive. Originally from Wisconsin, Cohen is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rob Flaherty, Director of Digital Strategy – Rob Flaherty serves as Digital Director for the Biden-Harris Transition and served as Digital Director on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to his role on the Biden-Harris Campaign, he served as Digital Director for Beto for America, Deputy Digital Communications Director for Hillary for America in 2016, and Director of Digital Media at the DNC. Flaherty also worked as Creative Director for Priorities USA. Originally from Massachusetts, Flaherty is a graduate of Ithaca College.

Maha Ghandour, Digital Partnerships Manager – Maha Ghandour serves as the Digital Partnerships Manager on the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee. Previously, Ghandour was a Digital Partnerships and Influencer Manager on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to her role on the campaign, Ghandour worked in entertainment in the Digital Media, Branded Lifestyle, and Non Scripted Television departments at the talent agency WME in Los Angeles. She previously worked at Endeavor’s 160/90 creative agency in Brand Partnerships. Born in California and raised in Washington state, Ghandour is a graduate from Cornell University.

Jonathan Hebert, Video Director – Jonathan Hebert served as Deputy Video Director on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to the campaign, he worked as Digital Video Director for Our Turn Action Network, an education advocacy organization. In 2018, he directed paid media for Reach The Summit, a committee supporting Jared Polis’ successful campaign for Colorado Governor. Originally from North Carolina, Hebert is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jaime Lopez, Director of Platforms – Jaime Lopez serves as the Social Media and Audience Development Director for the Biden-Harris Transition. Prior to joining the transition, Lopez was Regional Digital Organizing Director – South for the Biden-Harris Campaign. Lopez has previously worked for various Democratic campaigns and non-profits including Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign as Florida mobilization director, social media manager for the Cancer Research Institute, social media associate at the ACLU, and Florida deputy digital director for Hillary for America. Lopez was raised in California and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Carahna Magwood, Creative Director – Carahna Magwood serves as the Design Director on the Biden-Harris Transition. Prior to joining the transition, Magwood held the position of Deputy Design Director on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to her role on the campaign, she served as Lead Graphic Designer for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation where she led the creative strategy for DC’s largest policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community. During her years in DC, she served as founding principal of her own design firm, Lemonaid, where she created websites and branding for small businesses with a focus on design thinking. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Magwood is a graduate of Howard University. She currently lives in Philadelphia, with her partner and son.

Abbey Pitzer, Designer – Abbey Pitzer served as a Brand Designer on the Biden-Harris Campaign. She served as the Junior Graphic Designer for the Biden Campaign during the 2020 presidential primary election. Before joining the campaign, Pitzer was a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. Originally from Pennsylvania, Pitzer graduated from the Graphic Design Communication Program at Jefferson University.

Olivia Raisner, Traveling Content Director – Olivia Raisner serves as the Traveling Digital Director for the Biden-Harris Transition, a position she held on the Biden-Harris Campaign since the primary. Prior to the campaign, Raisner served as the Digital Director for Tax March and as a producer at Putnam Partners where she wrote and produced television advertisements for Democratic candidates during the 2018 midterm elections. She began her career in communications on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Originally from Massachusetts, Raisner is a graduate of Bowdoin College.

 Rebecca Rinkevich, Deputy Director Of Digital Strategy – Rebecca Rinkevich was the Director of Digital Rapid Response for the Biden-Harris Campaign. Previously, Rinkevich was the Director of Political Programs at Bully Pulpit Interactive, where she ran the agency’s large electoral engagements and embedded with organizations as they scaled their digital operations. A native of Florida, Rinkevich graduated from Davidson College.

Aisha Shah, Partnerships Manager – Aisha Shah served as a Digital Partnerships Manager on the Biden-Harris Campaign. Shah currently serves as an Advancement Specialist for the Smithsonian Institution. Prior to this role, Shah worked as an Assistant Manager on the Corporate Fund of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, supporting the first-ever expansion of a presidential memorial. Shah also served as a Strategic Communications Specialist at Buoy, an integrated marketing firm that specializes in social impact communications, as well as Spitfire Strategies, where she enabled nonprofits to use pop culture as a tool for social change. Born in Kashmir and raised in Louisiana, Shah is a graduate of Davidson College.

Christian Tom, Deputy Director Of Digital Strategy – Christian L. Tom is the Digital Director for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inaugural Committee. Previously, Tom served as Director of Digital Partnerships for the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to his role on the campaign, he was Senior Vice President at Group Nine Media and Publisher at NowThis and The Dodo. Tom previously worked at Twitter and Google / YouTube in revenue roles. Originally from New York, Tom is a graduate of Stanford University.

Cameron Trimble, Director of Digital Engagement – Cameron Calvin Trimble serves as the Deputy Digital Director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. He served as the Director of African American Paid Media for the Biden-Harris Campaign. Prior to his role on the campaign, Trimble was a principal on the communications team at Precision and served as senior public affairs specialist for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. He also served as the communications director for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Raised in Ohio, Trimble is a graduate of Howard University.