WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today announced the appointment of two senior staffers in Virginia. Zack Golden will lead Sen. Warner’s Virginia operations as State Director, overseeing offices and staff in Northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Southwest Virginia, and Cynthia Downs-Taylor will serve as Senior Advisor.

“I am thrilled that Zack and Cynthia will be joining our staff, rounding out a diverse and experienced senior management team in Virginia and Washington, D.C.,” said Sen. Warner. “Zack and Cynthia both have extensive knowledge of Virginia and they will both be enormous assets to our operations as we work to serve Virginians and help the Commonwealth recover from COVID-19.”

Golden and Downs-Taylor join a leadership team steering Warner’s operations that includes Chief of Staff Elizabeth Falcone; Legislative Director Lauren Marshall; Communications Director Rachel Cohen; Administrative Director Reagan Blewett; and Director of State Operations Lou Kadiri.

Golden is native of Virginia Beach and previously was Warner’s Director of Scheduling and Advance from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, Golden served as a legislative aide and staff assistant in the Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. He rejoins Warner’s team after six years working for Dyson Capital Advisors in Alexandria, Virginia as Client Service Director. He has a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University, where he was student body president, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Golden and his wife Holly live in Arlington with their daughter and dog. He will be based in Vienna.

Downs-Taylor is a consultant and community organizer from Hampton Roads, Virginia. She consulted for Sen. Warner’s successful re-election campaigns to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and 2020. She has also worked on the campaigns of a number of Virginia officeholders, including Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Gov. Ralph Northam, and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA). She is a former Virginia State Director for the NAACP National Voter Fund and a graduate of Virginia State University. She will be based in Richmond.  

###