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Amanda Finney caught the “political bug” after interning in the White House during the summer of 2010.

Nearly 11 years later, Finney, a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, has returned to the White House to begin her role as President Joe Biden’s chief of staff for the press office and special assistant to the press secretary.

During her summer internship in the White House, Finney worked in the correspondence office, fielding letters from those impacted by the BP oil spill.

“It’s one thing to see the BP oil spill happen on CNN or the news. But it’s another to have thousands of letters coming in from the Gulf coast, from people that are affected,” Finney said. “The (White House) correspondence office led me to have this direct connection to the American people.”

Finney, who was appointed in December, began her role Wednesday following the inauguration of Biden, an SU College of Law alumnus. Finney hopes to rebuild trust between the press and the public, which deteriorated during Donald Trump’s presidency, she said. 

As chief of staff for the press office, Finney will oversee the office’s day-to-day operations. She will also serve as a direct line of communication between the White House and the press.

“It’s a once in a lifetime job and opportunity anyway, but especially at this moment in time in our country’s history,” Finney said.

SU trustee professor Bob Thompson believes Finney’s new job is just the jumping-off point of her political career. Thompson, who taught Finney, told his department chair that Finney would become the president one day.

“I’m still holding to that prediction,” Thompson said.

Finney’s interest in politics began during her undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University, where she studied English and communications. After her junior year, Finney took a year off and volunteered in Virginia for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

She finished her degree and moved to New Orleans, where she taught first grade with Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that recruits college graduates to serve as teachers. She later moved to Syracuse to begin her master’s degree in television, radio and film at Newhouse.

When she came to SU, Finney initially thought she would go to law school. By pursuing her master’s degree, she could have more time to figure out what kind of law she wanted to practice, she said.

“Once I got to Newhouse, it opened up a different world for me,” Finney said.

A class about media, law and politics inspired Finney to get involved in politics again, and she decided to work for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Finney enjoyed working on the campaign, but losing the election was devastating.

“Campaigns are always very hard for those on the losing side,” she said.

Following the Clinton campaign, Finney worked for Microsoft in Seattle and later left to work in New York City for Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign. She then joined Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation organization, as the associate director of policy and communications before moving to Washington D.C. to join the Biden administration. 

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Syracuse University alumnus Joe Biden sworn in as 46th US president
• SU political science professors react to Joe Biden’s inauguration
• Newhouse grad Amanda Finney named chief of staff in Joe Biden’s press office

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Finney’s hard work and trustworthiness sets her apart from other students and professionals, Thompson said.

“She’s one of those students that professors wish all students would be like,” Thompson said. “Everything she approached, she really seemed to have a calling. It really mattered to her.”

Getting a job like her’s is likely the result of forming connections with people, Finney said. Networking is crucial to getting jobs both in and out of the political industry, she said.

“People look out for good people,” she said. “If you can find someone that works hard next to you and has a smile and a laugh while doing it, it makes all the difference.”

Finney also noted that both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are graduates of non-Ivy League universities. Biden is the first president since Ronald Reagan to graduate from a non-Ivy League university, proof that going to an Ivy League is not the only way to be successful, she said.

“It doesn’t matter where you go to school — it matters who you are and what you bring to the table,” she said.

Finney’s excited to get to work with the Biden administration and create change over the next four years.

“It’s a very historic moment. You feel a sense of pride and hope,” Finney said. “What can we do and what can this administration do in the next four years to bring about change and get America together again?”

Published on January 23, 2021 at 6:32 pm

Contact Mira: mlberenb@syr.edu