Washington, DC – Today, Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser announced the appointments of Betsy Cavendish as General Counsel, Charon Hines as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, Lindsey Parker as Deputy Chief of Staff, Rob Hawkins as Deputy General Counsel, and Sean Floyd as Director of Scheduling.
“I am delighted these talented individuals will be taking key positions in my Administration. Together, they have years of quality experience working in or with the District and they are deeply familiar with the issues our residents face. Their knowledge and expertise will be critical to ensuring we deliver a fresh start for the District of Columbia,” said Mayor-elect Bowser.
Cavendish recently served as President of Appleseed, a nonprofit network of 17 public interest centers throughout the United States and Mexico. At Appleseed, she guided the organization on a number of ambitious programs related to social justice, particularly in the fields of financial access, education, and immigrant rights. Before joining Appleseed, she had extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, spent several years at the U.S. Department of Justice, and was an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law. Cavendish is a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. She and her husband live in Chevy Chase along with their two daughters, both of whom attend Wilson High School.
Hines served as the Ward 4 coordinator for the Mayor-elect during the campaign and then served as the Traveling Chief of Staff for the Mayor-elect’s Transition Team. Previously, she was an instructor in Montgomery County Public Schools from 2006 until 2014, and also served as a principal and teacher in both Maryland and the District. Hines has graduate degrees from Trinity University and Bowie State University and an undergraduate degree from Mary Baldwin College. She resides in Lamond-Riggs with her husband.
Parker recently served as the Director of Legislative Affairs and Economic Development in the Council office of Mayor-elect Bowser. Previously, she served as Policy Director for Americans for Responsible Solutions, a non-profit organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and dedicated to the prevention of gun violence and responsible gun ownership. She also served as director of internal communications at Symantec, a Fortune 500 software company. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. She is a graduate of Yale University and resides in Columbia Heights.
Hawkins served as the Chief Legal and Policy Advisor in the Council office of Mayor-elect Bowser since 2009. In his most recent role as the Director of the Committee on Economic Development, Hawkins was responsible for oversight of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, WMATA, and affordable housing. During his tenure as the Director of the Committee on Government Operations, he helped the Mayor-elect craft comprehensive ethics reform legislation. Hawkins is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Virginia Tech. He resides with his wife and two children in Ward 2.
Prior to joining the Bowser Administration, Floyd worked as the Chief Operation Officer for the re-election campaign for Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois (2014), Director of Operations for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign (2013), and as Pennsylvania Director of Operations for President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012. Floyd is a native to the Washington Metropolitan Area and graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Africa/African Diaspora Studies.