White House director of broadcast media leaving for private sector

A top communications aide to President Biden is set to leave the White House in the coming weeks, a White House spokesperson confirmed on Monday. 

Mariel Saez, White House director of broadcast media, will leave her post for a gig in the private sector that hasn’t been announced yet. She is responsible for the White House’s media strategy around television. 

CNN was the first to report the news of her departure.

Saez’s departure is a rare one for this White House administration, which has had very little staff turnover during Biden’s first year in office.  

Saez said in a statement it was an honor to serve the president in that position.

“I am grateful to my talented and dedicated colleagues at the White House and across the Administration who worked hand-in-hand with me to communicate the President’s priorities across broadcast media,” she said. 

She added that she is “excited to begin the next chapter of my career in the private sector.”

“I look forward to sharing more about my next steps soon,” she said.

Saez joined the White House at the start of the administration, after serving as deputy communications director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee after Biden won the 2020 election. She also worked for four months as the women’s media director for Biden for President.

Before that, Saez spent over 10 years in House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) office, most recently as deputy communications director.

Kate Bedingfield, White House director of communications, called Saez an “invaluable member of our team” on Monday and highlighted her work.

“From morning shows and primetime cable to the Sunday shows, town halls, and specials, Mariel worked across the Administration to ensure a robust broadcast presence, booking over 2700 interviews and shaping coverage of the Administration,” she said in a statement, adding that Saez will be missed.

Vice President Harris’s office has had multiple staff departures so far, including chief spokesperson and senior adviser Symone Sanders and communications director Ashley Etienne.

Updated at 3:56 p.m.