Sonia Das, chief of staff to New Jersey Senate majority leader

New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg appointed Sonia Das as her chief of staff. She will take charge on January 1.

A graduate of the University of Washington, Das has worked on the staff of the Senate Democratic Majority Leaders for seven years. She currently serves as a senior research associate. Das previously worked in the governor’s office in Democratic administrations and on New Jersey campaigns.

Das’s parents, Dr Arun K Das and Debala Das, came to the United States from Kolkata in 1973. Her father pursued his PhD at WashingtonStateUniversity followed by a post doctorate fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology a few years later.

He now works as an associate technical fellow at Boeing. The family is settled in Washington state.

“I grew up surrounded by a tight knit Bengali community in Seattle, and I learned the values of taking care of everyone in the community,” Sonia Das told India Abroad.

“I also learned at a young age that when you have been given opportunities it is your responsibility to help open doors for others who have not. It was in college where I linked the values I learned in the Indian community to a career in politics.”

She worked for Al Gore’s Presidential race in 2000 as an intern. “From there I worked on campaigns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania before entering government work with Governor Jim McGreevey’s administration in New Jersey.”

She served as an assistant press secretary to Governor Richard Codey (2004-2006) before moving over to the State Senate Majority Office where she staffed the State government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.

Das said she was honored to have the opportunity to work with Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg.

“As her chief of staff, I will be in charge of overseeing her policy priorities, many of which focus on fostering equality and creating an inclusionary New Jersey where every segment of the population is represented fairly and adequately,” she said.

Das, 35, lives in Lambertville, New Jersey. She is also a board member for PAM’ (Power and Money for Choice and Change)’s List, which aims to increase the number of women in elected office in New Jersey by raising funds to support their campaigns.