TRUMP FAMILY/MELANIA: “Melania Trump is staffing up in anticipation of her second year as first lady of the United States. On Thursday [1-11-18], the first lady announced she has hired a director of operations, a policy director and a communications coordinator… The hires bring the number of full-time staffers on Trump’s official payroll to 12, still a relatively lean office for a first lady one year into her tenure. Michelle Obama and Laura Bush both had approximately 25 staffers by the time their husbands left office…
Justin Caporale takes the place of Tim Tripepi, as the new director of operations, who left Trump’s office in November after serving in the role since shortly after inauguration. Caporale has experience in operations and advance work; he’s joining the first lady’s office from the West Wing side of the White House, where he was lead advance representative in the office of Presidential Advance…
Reagan Thompson joins the East Wing as director of policy and will presumably help develop a more robust strategy for the first lady’s causes, which have so far been broadly centered around helping children…
Annie LeHardy is joining the East Wing from the West Wing to serve as communications coordinator. Her West Wing title had been press assistant.”
-Kate Bennett, “Melania Trump kicks off new year with new hires,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Jan. 11, 2018 12:19pm