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Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady

Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady, White House
Responsibility
Management Scope

The chief of staff is responsible for overall management of daily operations that support the first lady. As of 2012, the position has overseen the staff work of six departments: policy and projects; scheduling; advance; correspondence; press; and the social office. The office currently has 25-30 people.2

Primary Responsibilities

• Leads all strategy and operations for the Office of the First Lady
• Acts as liaison for all matters involving both the president and first lady’s joint events and schedule
• Guides the staff’s work, including domestic and international initiatives
• Coordinates with the chief usher the general operations of Camp David, the executive residence, including events, residence personnel and first family matters
• Represents the first lady as a surrogate at functions, and with the media3
• Is responsible for establishing a good working relationship with the West Wing within the first couple of years, given that the Office of the First Lady is often seen as a liability at first
• Plays an important role in the reelection campaign

Strategic Goals and Priorities
[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]
Requirements

• Firm understanding of policy initiatives and political implications
• Communications and media experience
• Must know Washington community
• Must know how to stage events or have ability to get that expertise
• Confidence of the First Lady and the knowledge of her interests and needs
• Knowledge of and good relationship with the West Wing (a plus)

Competencies

• Strong management and administrative skills
• Ability to work closely with West Wing counterparts on all policy matters that advance the president’s agenda
• Ability to pivot from overseeing traditional duties of the first lady (White House ceremonies) as well as direct global and domestic policy initiatives

Past Appointments
  • Tina Tchen (2011 to 2017) – Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP4
  • Susan Sher (2009 to 2011) – White House Associate Counsel; Vice President at the University of Chicago Medical Center; Corporation Counsel of Chicago5
  • Jackie Norris (2008 to 2009) – Senior Adviser and Scheduler for Senator Obama’s Iowa campaign; High School Government and History Teacher6
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AGENCY

Executive Office of the President

Mission: The Office of the First Lady is composed of staff accountable to the first lady of the United States. The office is part of the White House Office in the Executive Office of the President.

COMPENSATION

$176,461 in 20161

REPORTS TO

The First Lady and the White House Chief of Staff

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Footnote
  1. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/politics/white-house-salary-report/
  2. Romney Readiness Project position descriptions
  3. Romney Readiness Project position descriptions
  4. https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/author/tina-tchen
  5. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-susan-sher-bio-box-20150223-story.html
  6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/04/AR2009060404285.html
This position description was created with the help of Martha Kumar from the White House Transition Project, which provides information to a new White House staff about their individual offices thereby streamlining the process of transition from one administration to the next.
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