WASHINGTON – As often occurs, after an elected official wins another term, there are changes in the offices.  On Thursday, United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., announced the appointment of several key members to her staff as she begins her third term in the U.S. Senate.  Here is her press release:

• Jane Campbell, formerly the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, a state legislator, a county official and an economic development professional, has been named Chief of Staff.
    
• Louisiana State Senator Donald R. "Don" Cravins, Jr., has been named Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, which Sen. Landrieu will chair this Congress.
   
• Tanner Johnson rejoins the Landrieu team as Projects Director, after having previously served from 2001 to 2005 in multiple positions on the Landrieu team, including Legislative Assistant.
   
• Landrieu Press Secretary Stephanie Allen has been promoted to Communications Director.
   
• T. Bradley Keith has returned to the position of State Director after having taken a leave in 2008 to serve as Communications Director for Sen. Landrieu’s reelection campaign.
   
• Office Manager and Executive Assistant Alicia Williams has been reappointed to her position, which she has held since Sen. Landrieu first came to the Senate in 1997.

“I am beginning a third term with a strong leadership team that will work with me in continuing to fight for Louisiana,” said Sen. Landrieu, who was sworn in this week as one of only 10 women in history to be elected to a third term in the Senate.

“We have a lot of work to do to tackle the serious issues facing Louisiana, including reforming the Army Corps of Engineers and accelerating Louisiana’s payments from the offshore oil and gas revenue-sharing plan we passed in 2006.  We also need to reform the Stafford Act so that the federal government’s response to future disasters is bold and effective, rather than a morass of red tape. 

“This team has the balance, perspective and experience to build on the record of reform and the record of working across the aisle that has and will continue to deliver for all Louisianians.”

JANE CAMPBELL, CHIEF OF STAFF

Jane Campbell joins Senator Landrieu’s team as Chief of Staff after serving as Managing Director of Public Sector Solutions at Colliers Ostendorf Morris since July 2006. In that capacity, Campbell negotiated public/private partnerships for corporate and local government entities to encourage economic development.

Campbell also has had an extensive career in public service. From 2002 to 2006, Campbell was the Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, where she restored fiscal stability, without tax increases, to a city of about a half million residents. During her tenure as Mayor, Campbell served as Vice President of the Democratic Mayors Caucus (2004-2005) and a Member of the Democratic National Committee (2004-2005).  She has also represented 1.4 million people as a County Commissioner in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, from 1997 to 2002, and before that was elected six times to the Ohio State House of Representatives.

“Jane Campbell has been a trusted friend since we each served in our state legislatures, and we have built a strong relationship over the years,” Sen. Landrieu said. “Her national experience as well as her time as Mayor of Cleveland and in the Ohio state legislature makes her extremely well positioned for this important leadership role in my office. Her experience as an elected official in Ohio involved her with both urban and rural areas that face many of the issues we do in Louisiana. I look forward to continue fighting for Louisiana during my third term with Jane leading my staff.”

“Jane Campbell is an excellent choice for Senator Landrieu’s chief of staff,” said President and CEO of the National Urban League and former Mayor of New Orleans Marc Morial. “Her experience as mayor and in county government in Ohio means she will add a great feel for local communities and local leaders to the Senator’s staff that I know is very important to Louisiana. She also is experienced in dealing with the intricacies of federal, state, and local relations, which will mean that she will be very effective in helping to connect people to the Senator’s legislative agenda and the legislative agenda to the people of Louisiana.”   

Campbell succeeds Jason Matthews, who will be pursuing new professional opportunities after having served on the Senator’s staff since her first Senate campaign in 1996.

DON CRAVINS, JR., SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE STAFF DIRECTOR

Senator Landrieu’s selection as staff director for the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, Don Cravins, Jr., is a St. Landry Parish native elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2004.  In 2006, he was elected to the Louisiana Senate and has served as the Chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee and as the Vice Chair of the Senate Retirement Committee.  Cravins was also a practicing attorney with the Law Offices of Domengeaux Wright Roy & Edwards in Lafayette, La., and before that he worked in the Baton Rouge office of McGlinchey Stafford PLLC.

A career-long champion of Louisiana small businesses, Cravins was ranked among the top 5 Democrats in the Louisiana State Senate by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry for his votes on business issues between 2004 and 2007.

“Donald brings solid experience to the top staff position on the Small Business Committee,” Sen. Landrieu said. “He was known as a reformer from Southwest Louisiana in the Louisiana Legislature, where his experience has prepared him well for the rough and tough legislative environment here in Washington. He and I will work together to ensure that the Small Business Administration is a true champion of our small businesses and not an abstacle to their growth and success.”

Cravins is a graduate of Louisiana State University and Southern University School of Law. He has served as a Captain in the Opelousas Police Department Reserve Unit, and was part of the response effort to the hurricanes of the past three and a half years. Cravins and his wife Yvette have two children – Dominique Claire, 9, and Trey, 7 – and are members of the Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Lafayette.

TANNER JOHNSON, PROJECTS DIRECTOR

Tanner Johnson, a Baton Rouge native, rejoins the Landrieu team as Projects Director after most recently serving as the Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr., D-La. He previously served in the Landrieu office from 2001 to 2005, first as an aide on the projects team and later as a Legislative Assistant specializing in coastal, energy and agricultural issues. He later served as a Staff Attorney for the Louisiana State Senate and as the Federal and State Legislative Liaison for the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities under Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, D-La.

“Tanner returns to my office after having gained incredible experience on the issues facing our state in several high-level positions in Louisiana,” Sen. Landrieu said. “His wealth of knowledge on Louisiana’s coastal and infrastructure needs means Louisianians will be very well served by my projects team.”  

STEPHANIE ALLEN, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Stephanie Allen has been promoted to Communications Director after having served as Press Secretary since July 2006.  She joined the team from Congressional Quarterly, where she worked as a news researcher, reporter and account manager.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Emory University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. Before moving to Washington in 2003, Allen worked for myriad Texas news organizations, including the Houston Chronicle; The Facts, a Brazoria County paper; Texas Weekly, a political newsletter, and the UT student newspaper, The Daily Texan, where she covered the 78th Texas Legislature.

Allen succeeds Adam Sharp, who joined the Landrieu office in June 2004 as Deputy Communications Director and has led the communications team since being named Communications Director in 2005 and Deputy Chief of Staff in early 2008.  He was this week named Executive Producer, Digital Services, for the public affairs network C-SPAN, beginning February 2.  In the newly-created role on the network's senior management team, Sharp will have responsibility for the editorial oversight of C-SPAN.org and enhanced daily public affairs programming on C-SPAN 3. 

“This press team will continue to serve Louisiana and national reporters with the same tenacity and dedication they have become known for over the last several years,” Sen. Landrieu said. “Stephanie Allen and will provide steady continuity fro reporters on deadline.”

“While Louisiana has been wonderfully served by Adam, I am thrilled that he is taking this important job with C-SPAN. It is an incredible career step for him, and I know C-SPAN will benefit from his many skills and talents that we have benefited from for more than four years.”

T. BRADLEY KEITH, STATE DIRECTOR

ALICIA WILLIAMS, OFFICE MANAGER AND EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

T. Bradley Keith joined Sen. Landrieu’s staff following a position as director of communications and public affairs for the Louisiana Health Care Review. In 2008, he took a leave from the office to serve as Communications Director for the Senator’s successful campaign for a third term.  During Sen. Landrieu’s terms as State Treasurer, Keith served as her Assistant State Treasurer for Communications and has also worked as a newspaper reporter for the Patriot Leader in Quincy, Mass., the News-Star in Monroe, La., and New Orleans City Business magazine. A native of New Orleans, he received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Originally from Grambling, La., Alicia Williams is a graduate of Grambling State University and a life member of the Grambling University National Alumni Association. She also is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Before joining Senator Landrieu's Washington staff, she was Deputy Campaign Manager during the 1996 election. Williams also worked for Sen. Landrieu’s predecessor, former Senator J. Bennett Johnston.

“T. Bradley and Alicia are among the longest-serving, most dedicated members of our team,” said Sen. Landrieu.  “They are known throughout Louisiana for their deep knowledge and commitment to effective constituent service.  We are fortunate to have them with us for another term, and know the people of Louisiana will benefit greatly from the steady experience of these familiar faces.”

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