Biden names longtime Capitol Hill aide as next legislative affairs director

President Biden is tapping a longtime Capitol Hill aide and former White House official to run his Office of Legislative Affairs, he announced Monday.

Shuwanza Goff, who served as Biden’s deputy director of legislative affairs, will take over as director for the departing Louisa Terrell. Goff left the White House earlier this year and joined the lobbying team at Cornerstone Government Affairs.

“Shuwanza is a proven leader and trusted voice on both sides of the aisle. She returns to the White House with strong relationships across both Chambers, forged over more than a decade on Capitol Hill,” Biden said in a statement.

Goff previously served as director of legislative operations for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and she has a reputation for building strong relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Biden pointed to her work to help pass bipartisan legislation including the infrastructure law and a semiconductor manufacturing law, as well as Democratic bills such as the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Shuwanza’s close partnership with my decades-long friends in the House and Senate, and her expertise, instincts and deep respect for the United States Congress will continue to serve our Administration and the American people well,” he said.

Goff will be the first African-American woman to serve as the director of legislative affairs at the White House.

She replaces Terrell, a longtime Biden aide who had worked as the president’s director of legislative affairs since 2021.