Oak Park locals and lovers may or may not be aware: There’s a connection here to Vice President Kamala Harris: Sheila Nix, who has served as her vice-presidential campaign chief of staff, lived in Oak Park before joining President Joe Biden’s administration in 2021.
It’s not yet clear if Nix will now be the presidential campaign chief of staff for Harris.
“I am really excited about the new position because it’s so important to get the word out about the impactful changes for families across the U.S. that the Biden/Harris administration has made through its Invest in America agenda,” Nix told Wednesday Journal last summer. “This election is also so important in the fight for our freedoms and to protect our democracy.”
Nix moved to Oak Park in 2003. Before assuming her role last summer as the campaign chief of staff for Harris, who Biden selected as his running mate in August 2020, Nix served as chief of staff to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
Harris announced Sunday that she’s seeking the Democratic nomination for president to replace Biden, after he announced he was ending his campaign.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris wrote in a post on X. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
Many Democrats have endorsed Harris to be their nominee, following suit with Biden, who announced his endorsement Sunday. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker are are among the top leaders to do so.
Nix was also the campaign chief of staff for Biden when he was the vice president during former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. She’s also served as Jill Biden’s chief of staff and was the campaign chief of staff for Harris when she was named Biden’s running mate in 2020.
“Sheila Nix is a battle-tested leader and dedicated public servant, and I am grateful she has agreed to join our 2024 campaign,” Harris said last summer in a statement. “Sheila’s strategic sense and ability to navigate challenges made her an invaluable advisor to me on our 2020 general election team.”
Nix has a law degree from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree from Creighton University. She grew up in Palatine. As of summer 2023, Nix and her husband, Jim Coughlan, still owned a home in Oak Park.
