Doug Jones (pictured) will be the only Senate Democrat to have an African-American chief of staff once Dana Gresham comes on board. | Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images Doug Jones hires African-American chief of staff

Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.) has hired former transportation official and congressional aide Dana Gresham as his chief of staff.

The move will make Jones the only Senate Democrat to have an African-American chief of staff. Two Senate Republicans, Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Jerry Moran of Kansas, have black chiefs of staff.


Gresham previously served as assistant secretary for government affairs at the Department of Transportation. Before that, he was chief of staff to then-Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.). A graduate of Georgetown University, Gresham is an Alabama native: A tweet Tuesday by Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) referred to him as "Birmingham's own stand out."

Jones has made hiring a diverse staff a priority since his upset victory over Republican Roy Moore in last month's special Senate election in Alabama.

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Jones' office announced Gresham and a number of senior staff hires on Tuesday. Mark Libell, formerly an assistant congressional liaison for the Federal Reserve Board who also worked for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and former Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), will be legislative director. Ann Berry, a deputy chief of staff to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), is transition adviser. Katie Campbell, another veteran congressional aide who served as an adviser to Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and as policy director for the Blue Dog Coalition, will be deputy legislative director.

Jones will be sworn in on Wednesday.

