Encyclopedia · Biography
Rick Dearborn
American political staffer, former deputy White House chief of staff
Personal details
- Name
- Rick Dearborn
- Education
- University of Oklahoma (1988)
- Spouse
- Gina Dearborn
- Occupation
- Congressional aide, presidential transition executive, government-relations adviser
- Federal positions
- Assistant secretary of energy for congressional affairs (2003); deputy White House chief of staff (January 2017–March 2018)
Rick Dearborn is an American political staffer and government-relations professional who worked for Senator Jeff Sessions, led the executive staff of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential transition, and served as a deputy White House chief of staff in 2017–2018.
Early professional career and education
Dearborn graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1988. His public professional biography describes work for several Republican senators, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the American Medical Association and the Heritage Foundation, where he served as director of congressional relations. He and his wife Gina have lived in the Washington and Alabama regions.
Senate service and Energy Department
Dearborn worked on the staff of Senator Jeff Sessions beginning in 1997, first as legislative director and later as chief of staff from 2005 until early 2017. In between, he served in the George W. Bush administration as assistant secretary of energy for congressional affairs after Senate confirmation in 2003.
2016 campaign and transition
During 2016, Dearborn participated in the Trump campaign and became executive director of the presidential transition following the election. In January 2018 congressional testimony, Corey Lewandowski described Dearborn’s role in efforts to obtain Sessions’s support for Trump; this is an attributed witness account, not independent proof of every asserted conversation.
White House and later career
Trump announced Dearborn as deputy chief of staff for legislative, intergovernmental affairs and implementation on January 4, 2017; the announcement included statements from Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon. Dearborn served through March 2018 and later worked in government relations and as a senior fellow for the Bipartisan Policy Center.
References
Research compiled through November 12, 2026. Sources and historical roles are dated where known.