Sen. Bernie Sanders has promoted longtime aide Kathryn Becker Van Haste to the position of state director. It’s a low-visibility, high-importance position; her 15-member team is the interface between Vermonters and Sanders’ Washington office. That includes five staff who handle constituents’ issues with the federal government, and 10 field representatives who travel the state representing Sanders.
Her office also coordinates social media and email communications within Vermont.
Van Haste assumed the job at the most challenging of moments. “During the pandemic, we’ve had a record-breaking number of contacts with constituents,” she said in a phone interview. “We want to let people know that Bernie is really, truly there to help.”
Van Haste began working for Sanders in 2013 in his Washington, D.C., office. She also worked for then-Sen. Jim Jeffords from 2002 to 2006.
“I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time in D.C. on policy work, but some of the most rewarding work is to take the experiences of real people and translate them into policy actions,” Van Haste said when asked why she was interested in the state director job.
Sanders praised Van Haste in a press release announcing the hire. “Kathryn has been an outstanding member of my office for the last 7 years where she has focused on health care, the high cost of prescription drugs and the needs of veterans,” Sanders said. “I am delighted to have her as our new state director where I am confident she’ll do an outstanding job for all Vermonters.”
Van Haste, like Sanders, is a native of New York City. She came to Vermont to attend the University of Vermont, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She has also received master’s degrees from Norwich University and Dartmouth College.
