Van Hollen Announces New Chief of Staff

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced that Tricia “Trish” Russell will be joining his office as his Chief of Staff.

“Trish has a long and outstanding record of serving the American people in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our team, and I know she will serve my office and the people of Maryland well. I’m glad to have her on board as we continue working to support Marylanders during this difficult time,” said Senator Van Hollen. 

Prior to joining Senator Van Hollen’s office, Russell served as the Chief of Staff to Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) as well as the Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) in the 115th Congress. Previously she worked for U.S. Representative Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) for a decade, holding a number of leadership positions, handling his work on the House Appropriations Committee, and serving as Chief of Staff from 2013 to 2016. Russell was Israel’s Chief of Staff during his tenure in House Democratic Leadership as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and as Chairman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee in the House, which she helped launch in 2015. 

Russell is a veteran of Capitol Hill starting in 2006 and in 2015 she was named one of the 20 Most Powerful Women Staffers by National Journal. She holds a B.A. from Syracuse University and an executive education certificate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.