Jan. 25: Several Spelman Alumnae Join the Biden-Harris Administration

Spelman Alumnae Join the Biden-Harris Administration

Several Spelman alumnae now hold distinctive roles in the historic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris administration.

Amijah Townsend-Holmes, C’2019, was appointed press assistant to the 46th president.

Townsend-Holmes served as a personnel assistant on the Biden-Harris transition team. Prior to that she served as the communications assistant to Vice President Harris.

Rosemary Enobakhare, C’2008, was sworn in on inauguration day as associate administrator for public engagement and environmental education at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

She returns to the EPA after serving as the deputy associate administrator for public engagement and environmental education during President Barack Obama’s administration. Most recently, Enobakhare was the director of campaigns at The Hub Project, which builds coalitions and provides resources, capacity, infrastructure and expertise to partners in the progressive movement. There she developed and managed large-scale advocacy campaigns.

Janelle Jones, C’2006, joins the Biden-Harris administration as the chief economist for the Department of Labor.

"I am excited to help build back a better economy where workers, especially those usually left behind, are safe, secure and empowered in the workplace," Jones tweeted on inauguration day.

Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, Jones was managing director of policy and research at the Groundwork Collaborative and policy and research director at The Hub Project.

Spelman and IDEAYA Biosciences Partner to Develop the Next Generation of Biotechnology Industry Leaders

Spelman and IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. announced a partnership to develop the next generation of African American women leaders in the biotechnology industry.

The IDEAYA Biosciences / Spelman College Health Science and Biotechnology Program will create a multifaceted learning platform for students pursuing careers in biotechnology and precision medicine.

Students selected to take part in the program will participate in a summer internship at the end of their sophomore year. Support of the interns will continue through the students’ junior and senior years through scholarships and biotechnology industry focused career advice provided through a mentor.

"As an institution that ranks in the top 10 of all U.S. colleges and universities for the highest number of medical school applications from Black Americans, we are passionate about not only the discovery of new therapeutic options, but the delivery of the treatments as well," said Rosalind Gregory-Bass, M.D., C'92, chair and associate professor of the Department of Environmental and Health Sciences and director of Spelman’s Health Careers Program. "The technology being developed at IDEAYA will be pivotal to that end. Spelman students and faculty can significantly contribute to these efforts and positively impact the company, overall."

Spelman Junior Celebrates ADW in Education Journal

Nailah Barnes, C’2022, credits much of her development as a culturally competent scholar to Spelman’s African Diaspora and the World program.

Barnes recently shared her experience in the Association of American Colleges and Universities' flagship quarterly, Liberal Education.

Her article, "Walking the Talk: Black Experiences Need to Be an Integral Part of College Curricula," appeared in the fall 2020 edition.

"Imagine how different our world would look if all of us were offered a gender-informed, interdisciplinary study of Africa’s histories, cultures and diaspora, and by extension if all of us valued Black life," she writes. "Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Elijah McClain, Sandra Bland and George Floyd might still be with us. My grandparents, and thousands of other Black people — who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic—might not have caught and suffered from COVID-19."

Spelman, she said, has been and continues to be integral to her development as a confident, insatiably curious and service minded young woman.

"Spelman models how Black studies can and should be foundational to all majors and degree programs," Barnes said. "I hope that the article will start conversations among leaders in higher education and lead to the adoption of curriculum similar to ADW at schools all around the country and the world."

Alumna to Oversee Lyft's Healthcare Policy Agenda

Lyft has selected Nicole Cooper, Dr.PH, MPH, C’2008, to oversee the rideshare company's national and state healthcare policy agenda.

As head of Healthcare Policy, Dr. Cooper will lead the company's legislative strategy to modernize medical transportation services for Medicaid and Medicare populations across the country. She will also work with Lyft's business development, government relations, compliance and strategy leaders to expand partnerships with government agencies, payers and healthcare providers and roll-out rideshare in additional states.

Dr. Cooper most recently served as vice president of corporate social responsibility at UnitedHealthcare, where she led partnerships and strategies focused on addressing basic access to care and social determinants of health for underserved communities.

Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Dr. Cooper was an Obama administration political appointee and part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services team responsible for implementing the Affordable Care Act.