Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced the appointment of Jennifer Duck as her new chief of staff. Duck will be based in Washington and will oversee a staff of 70 in Washington, Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. She replaces Chris Thompson, Feinstein’s longtime chief of staff, who is returning to California after nearly a decade on staff.

Most recently, Duck served as vice president of government relations and corporate leadership for Pfizer, Inc., the international pharmaceutical and consumer products company. Prior to Pfizer she served as staff director and chief counsel to Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Duck has also worked as counsel to former Democratic Leader Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.); counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; and senior policy advisor for the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.

In making the announcement, Feinstein said: “I’m delighted to welcome Jennifer Duck back to my team. Jennifer is a seasoned Capitol Hill aide with deep experience in both the public and private sectors, familiarity with the executive and legislative branches of government, and significant policy expertise. I will rely on her counsel and good judgment as we advance a busy legislative agenda and work for the people of California.”

Duck’s experience in the executive branch and state and local governments include time in the Clinton Administration at the Department of Labor’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs where she managed outreach to state and local officials as well as Congress. In 2008, she worked on the Obama presidential transition with teams for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Management and Budget, the CIA and the Department of Labor.

Feinstein added: “I want to thank Chris Thompson for his dedication and service. For nearly a decade Chris has been a trusted advisor and a friend. He has been an instrumental part of the team, and I’m sorry to lose him.”

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