The White House on Friday announced that President Biden’s communications director Kate Bedingfield, who has been with the president since his 2021 inauguration, will step down at the end of this month.

Bedingfield will be succeeded by Ben LaBolt, a former adviser to President Barack Obama and current strategist for the communications agency Bully Pulpit Interactive.  

Prior to serving as White House communications director, Bedingfield worked as then-Vice President Biden’s communications director in 2015-2016, and then found a role on his successful 2020 presidential campaign as deputy campaign manager. 

It’s the second time Bedingfield was expected to depart. She decided not to leave the White House last summer after signaling that she would.

Before working for Biden, Bedingfield served in the Obama White House as associate communications director, deputy director of media affairs, and director of rapid response.