Extract for terrimccullough.com archives. Original: https://19thnews.org/2025/11/terri-mccullough-history-nancy-pelosi/
As her chief of staff, Terri McCullough made history alongside Nancy Pelosi Skip to content Site Search Republish This Story Close * Please read before republishing * We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more informatio hrough. Try again with a new email or Contact us for support Become a member The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one . Politics The woman who made history with Nancy Pelosi Terri McCullough, the first woman to serve in a formal role as chief of staff to a House speaker, worked alongside Pelosi on big policy wins and broke a marble ceiling of her own. Terri McCullough is photographed at the Capitol on March 21, 2019. That year, she became the first woman to serve as a House speaker’s chief of staff in an official, paid capacity during Pelosi’s second speakership. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) Grace Panett McCullough, the first woman to serve in a formal role as chief of staff to a House speaker, worked alongside Pelosi on big policy wins and broke a marble ceiling of her own. Terri McCullough is photographed at the Capitol on March 21, 2019. That year, she became the first woman to serve as a House speaker’s chief of staff in an official, paid capacity during Pelosi’s second speakership. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) Grace Panetta Politics Reporter Published 2025-11-25 05:00 5:00 November 25, 2025 am America/Chicago Republish this story Share Bluesky Facebook Email As The 19th makes plans for 2026, we want o Republish this story Share Bluesky Facebook Email As The 19th makes plans for 2026, we want to hear from you! Complete our annual survey to let us know your thoughts. When Terri McCullough was a young college graduate in Northern California in the early 1990s, she knew she wanted to do good in the world somehow — and that she wanted to work for a woman. In 1991, she did just that when she landed an internship in the district office for a relatively new congresswoman representing San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi. It would mark the start of a decades-long partnership, during which she and Pelosi, now House s of the House before shattering the “marble ceiling” and becoming the first and still only woman elected as House speaker. The second time Pelosi took the speaker’s gavel, in 2019, McCullough, too, made history as the first woman to serve as chief of staff to a House speaker in an official, paid capacity. But now both are moving on. Pelosi, who stepped down from House Democratic leadership in 2022, announced this month that after nearly 40 years in the House, this term in Congress will be her last . McCullough is transitioning to the role of senior adviser for the rest of Pelosi’s term. Speaker Emerita N oving on. Pelosi, who stepped down from House Democratic leadership in 2022, announced this month that after nearly 40 years in the House, this term in Congress will be her last . McCullough is transitioning to the role of senior adviser for the rest of Pelosi’s term. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi stands with members of her staff on the House floor as she announces her decision to step back from Democratic leadership in December 2022, a moment that marked the end of her historic two-decade tenure at the helm of the caucus. (Courtesy of Speaker Emerita Pelosi’s office) “I would work for