DNC announces several new hires, including Roger Lau, a former Elizabeth Warren staffer

“The Democratic Party is stronger today thanks to the thousands of campaign staffers that [Roger Lau] has hired, trained, and mentored,” Senator Warren said in a statement about Lau’s hiring. “Now he’ll get to keep on building that powerful branch. He is truly a good man, and I will always be grateful for our enduring partnership.”

Lau is a longtime aid of Warren’s and helped her win two Senate races and served as senior advisor during her bid for the White House. He became one of the first Asian Americans to manage a major presidential campaign during the 2020 election. Prior to his time with Senator Warren, Lau served in many roles on John Kerry’s senate and staff campaigns, as well as for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Lau has managed several Senate and House campaigns in New England, and also served in the Commerce Department during the Obama Administration.

Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley echoed Warren’s enthusiasm for Lau’s hiring. “That’s right, Roger Lau,” Pressley tweeted. “The DNC will be better for your deep commitment to community and your sincere commitment to organizing and organizers. Congrats brother.”

A native of Queens, Lau earned his way into the world of Democratic politics through grit and hard work, according to previous Globe reports. He dropped out of school at 13, then earned his G.E.D. and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he at one point worked three separate jobs while carrying an extra-heavy course load.

He got his first break by answering a classified ad, spotted by a friend, seeking an intern for an unnamed US senator. After two years interning in Kerry’s Springfield office, Lau was hired to do constituent services.

In addition to Lau, who was tapped as deputy executive director, the DNC announced other new additions including Alana Mounce as political director, Monica Guardiola as chief operations officer, Clay Middleton as senior advisor to the chair, and Jose Nunez as deputy chief mobilization officer. Patrice Taylor, the party’s longtime keeper of party roles, was promoted to senior advisor, and Lauren Williams, who managed direct marketing at the committee, was promoted to deputy chief mobilization officer for grassroots fundraising.

Over the coming months, DNC chair Jaime Harrison will reportedly work with the White House to oversee the appointment of 75 at-large members of the national party — a significant share of the party’s total voting membership of about 450.

“We are thrilled to announce new additions to our team at the DNC,” Harrison said in a statement. “These new staff hires are among the best our party has to offer and will bring diversity, experience, and strength to the Democratic Party. These new additions to our team will help us to continue to grow our party, build on our successes, and defend our victories in the months and years ahead.”

“The DNC continues to recruit top talent to meet the moment,” said DNC Executive Director Sam Cornale, who Lau will report directly to. “We are committed to building an organization reflective of the diversity of our party that will fight tirelessly to improve the lives of every American. These new hires serve as a down payment on that commitment and will help to strengthen our party and build on our successes in 2021, 2022, and beyond.”

Material from previous Globe reports and from the Washington Post was used to inform this article.

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Brittany Bowker can be reached at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follow her @brittbowker and also on Instagram @brittbowker.