Delaware's new senator announces key staffers

Sen. Ted Kaufman recently announced his key staff, which will include Jeff Connaughton, a former senior staffer to Vice President Joe Biden and past Clinton White House aide, as his chief of staff. Jane Woodfin, Biden’s longtime legislative director, will be chief policy adviser and legislative director to Kaufman.

John DiEleuterio will become Kaufman’s Delaware state director, a job he held for Biden; and Alexander Snyder-Mackler, a holdover from Biden’s press office, will be press secretary.

“This is a strong staff that shares my determination to serve the best interests of Delaware, and I’m grateful that they will be joining me during this critical time for our state and nation,” said Kaufman. “For over two decades, Jeff has been a part of the Biden extended family of public servants, and he and I both recognize we’re picking up the mantle of a great senator in order to serve the people of Delaware. I’m also delighted that other key members of an excellent staff have agreed to stay and work with me.”

Connaughton’s Delaware roots extend back to 1987, when he left the world of corporate finance and moved to Wilmington to work under Kaufman at the Biden for President campaign.

After attending Stanford Law School, where he graduated with honors in 1994, Connaughton clerked for Chief Judge Abner Mikva of the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

When President Clinton named Mikva his White House counsel, Connaughton joined Mikva and served as a special assistant to the counsel to the president.

Connaughton has an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business; he currently works at Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a leading public affairs firm in Washington, D.C.

Woodfin devoted the last 15 years in service to Delawareans as Biden’s legislative director, managing his legislative staff and serving as a key adviser on domestic policy and legislative initiatives.

Prior to joining the staff, Woodfin was assistant attorney general for the state of Michigan 1987-93, where she counseled state agencies and the legislature, primarily on matters related to public education, and represented the state in a variety of complex litigation matters raising constitutional and other significant issues.

She also worked as a communications attorney with the Washington office of the Philadelphia-based firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis 1982-86.

She received a law degree with high honors from Georgetown University after receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland.

DiEleuterio has been Biden’s state director since 2003. He has been responsible for oversight and administration in the Delaware offices and will continue that role for Kaufman.

Prior to joining Biden, DiEleuterio spent his career in the private sector, including nearly 30 years at the Campbell Soup Company, primarily in human resources.

Snyder-Mackler has been Biden’s Delaware press secretary since late 2006. Before joining Biden’s staff, he was the communications director for the Delaware Democratic Party. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kaufman was officially sworn in as Delaware’s new U.S. senator Jan. 16, in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.