Daniel Arrigg Koh (born January 1, 1985) is an American politician. Koh was Deputy Assistant to President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

and Deputy Director of the

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President of the United States, Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White ...

Career

Koh served as Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...

and

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

Arianna Huffington Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (; , ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of ''HuffPost'', the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She ha ...

. Koh was featured in

Forbes 30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...

and the

Boston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

40 Under 40.

Biden Administration

Koh joined the

Biden Administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...

in 2021 as Chief of Staff to his former boss Marty Walsh, who became United States Secretary of Labor. Koh left the

Department of Labor A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...

in August 2022 to become Special Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Cabinet Secretary. He also served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Political campaigns

2018 congressional campaign

Koh ran for

Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district is located in north- central and northeastern Massachusetts. The largest municipalities in the district are Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Methuen, Billerica (partial), Fitchburg, and Marlborough. ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. Koh lost the Democratic primary to

Lori Trahan Lori Ann Trahan ( ; Loureiro; born October 27, 1973) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district covers Boston's northwestern suburbs, and includes Lowell, Lawrence, Concord, a ...

. Koh received 18,435 votes and Trahan received 18,580 votes.

Local government

In 2019, Koh was elected to the

Board of Selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

. As the top vote getter, Koh received 2,733 votes He resigned from the Board of Selectmen in February 2021 to join the

. In 2021, Koh was seen as a potential candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in the

2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election The 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Massachusetts. Republican Party (United States), Republican former state representative Geoff Diehl, Democratic Party (United States), Democr ...

. Koh did not run and Kim Driscoll was ultimately elected lieutenant governor.

Electoral history

Personal life

Koh is the son of Howard Koh, former United States

Assistant Secretary for Health The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) who serves as the primary advisor to the secretary of health and human services on matters involving t ...

, and Claudia Arrig, a doctor and the granddaughter of Lebanese emigrants who arrived in

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

in the 1890s. His uncle is Harold Hongju Koh, former Dean of Yale Law School and Legal Adviser of the Department of State. Koh married Amy Jean Sennett at

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of local government in the United States, city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the List of mayors of Boston, mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in ...

on June 23, officiated by Marty Walsh. They had a religious ceremony on July 2. They have two children, Theodora and Jack. Koh has struggled with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koh, Daniel Living people Massachusetts Democrats Politicians from Boston American politicians of Korean descent American politicians of Lebanese descent Biden administration personnel People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Selectmen in Massachusetts Politicians from Andover, Massachusetts Year of birth missing (living people) Harvard College alumni Harvard Business School alumni