Protocol, The First Family, Uncategorized, White House History, White House Staff
Vivek Kundra was America’s first Chief Information Officer assigned by President Obama to help the White House look forward and integrate new technologies for government. He reviewed government agencies and saved billions of dollars for the government and now he is taking all that knowledge to work globally at Salesforce. Here is what the New York Times Quentin Hardy wrote:
Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg NewsSalesforce.com, best know for its sales, customer service and collaboration software for business, is raising its ambitions by aiming at the international businesses and sales to foreign governments that have been the mainstays of companies like I.B.M.
On Monday, the company named Vivek Kundra its executive vice president of emerging markets. Mr. Kundra was the country’s first chief information officer from March 2009 until August 2011. His job was to move the government’s computer infrastructure spending — $80 billion a year — toward cloud computing. Mr. Kundra has extensive experience in technology at several levels of government, and has been a frequent visitor to the technology industry’s conferences.
Mr. Kundra said in an interview that his work would consist of showing “how Salesforce can close the technology gap” between traditional business and the faster-moving industry typified by consumer applications like Facebook andTwitter. Governments, and many overseas businesses, he said, “are still focused on the old model.”
At present, nearly 68 percent of Salesforce’s revenue is from the United States and Canada. Another 18 percent is from Europe and the remaining 14 percent is from the Asia-Pacific region. Africa and the Middle East are not broken out as separate regions. I.B.M., by comparison, has selected Africa as one of its top growth markets.
Though his title indicates he will oversee development and sales in places Salesforce barely reaches, Mr. Kundra indicated he would use his experience and connections to reach out to governments everywhere.
“The developed nations are all facing challenges in terms of their financial health,” Mr. Kundra said. “They can look at their operating expenses and see Salesforce as a disruptor.” He said that Salesforce would present itself to developing nations as a provider of “new services,” like health care delivered over mobile networks. The overall strategy will be developed over the next few months, he said.
The main benefit of Mr. Kundra’s experience may be in cost savings, as well as project implementation. “When I was in the public sector, $26 billion of that $80 billion was in projects years behind schedule or not working,” Mr. Kundra said. “The cloud can save money. I’ve seen it first hand, whether in D.C. or in the federal government.”
Given his relatively short tenure in the federal government, the cost savings produced during his time there was not clear. Mr. Kundra has also worked in similar jobs for the State of Virginia and the District of Columbia, where the installation ofGoogle Apps, instead of traditional office productivity software, was said to have saved about 87 percent.
Mr. Kundra has also been an outspoken advocate of sharing government data with the public as a means of creating low-cost information and business software applications.
For the first time the anchors of television news were not the most exciting to watch at this year’s White House Holiday party for television journalists; it was all the children of television’s best.
The “Today Show” sent a battalion of talent both on-air and off, beginning with Matt Lauer and his daughter; Ann Curry; Washington favorite Savannah Guthrie; and top producer Don Nash and his wife, Geylan.
Chuck Todd’s mom gave Gene Sperling a frontline small business pool report, while Bloomberg’s new TV Chief Andrew Morse caught up with ABC colleagues Ann Compton who brought her newly engaged daughter Annie Hughes, Robin Sproul and daughter, and Kate O’Brien and daughter. Terry Moran, Rick Klein, and Jake Tapper brought their better halves, too. Polson Kanneth brought young brother, James, before they jet off to India.
NBC News President Steve Capus with Elena Nachmanoff, and CBS’s Bob Schieffer and his daughter. Meet the Press EP Betsy Fischer brought fiancee Jonathan Martin, and MTP host David Gregory brought his wife, Beth Wilkinson.
All the president’s men attended in force from Jay Carney, Jon Favreau and Cody Keenan to Ben Rhodes. Marvin Nicholson stood tall in his new role as the president’s body man, and Sam Tubman lead the parade of media for the grip and grin photos.
The new webified David Chalian brought his step father while C-SPAN’s Steve Scully brought a priest.
No one looked happier then the man who issues the invites, White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard. He knows the joy the holidays bring.
Tina Tchen and Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the President and Tina Tchen, FLOTUS Chief of Staff and head of the White House Council on Women and Girls, penned an editorial in the Washington Post promoting the President’s jobs initiative and the importance of his new partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). It detailed initiatives that will help bring a work-life balance to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields that often see women drop out due to family responsibilities. They say, “for many women who dream of becoming scientists and researchers, these kinds of simple, common-sense changes will make a world of difference. And our entire economy can benefit, because if more women have the chance to pursue STEM careers, it will lead to more innovation, entrepreneurship and growth.”
Read their entire editorial here.
Alan Krueger playing at the 2009 WTT Celebrity Tennis Match
President Obama nominated Alan Krueger as the Chair to the Council of Economic Advisers. In his remarks given in the White House rose garden, Obama said,
“Alan brings a wealth of experience to the job. He’s one of the nation’s leading economists. For more than two decades, he’s studied and developed economic policy, both inside and outside of government.”
Krueger served as the chief economist at the Treasury Department until 2010 when he left to go to Princeton as a Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs. He will be replacing Austan Goolsbee who left the White House to go back to Chicago.
Read the Washington Post story here.
Watch the President’s remarks below:
Susan Sher with Vice President Biden and son, Graham Moore
Susan S. Sher, former FLOTUS Chief of Staff, is the new Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy and Public Affairs at the Medical Center of the University of Chicago. According to an official release, “she will coordinate the Medical Center’s external relations initiatives, develop and oversee corporate-relations strategy and represent the University of Chicago Medical Center to corporate and civic groups. She will also advise Medical Center leadership on a range of strategic and organizational issues, especially as they relate to governance, communications, community engagement and labor relations. In her role as Senior Adviser, she will advise the President of the University of Chicago on national health care issues and on strengthening the University’s connections to corporate partners throughout Chicago.”
At the White House, Sher helped launch the “Let’s Move” initiative as well as working on health care reform, and other national issues, many of which she gained experience from her previous work at the Medical Center and in Chicago. From 1993 to 1997 Sher was the first woman to serve as Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, the city’s chief lawyer,responsible for representing the Mayor, city departments, boards and commissions on all legal matters. Prior to that she was the first Assistant Corporation Counsel, from 1989-93. From 1985 to 1989 she was Associate General Counsel and Director of Labor & Litigation for the University of Chicago.
Read the full release here.
“Bob [Bauer] is a good friend and has served as a trusted advisor for many years. Bob was a critical member of the White House team. He has exceptional judgment, wisdom, and intellect, and he will continue to be one of my close advisors,” said President Obama in a statement announcing the change of staff. Bauer will go back to the private sector to resume his position at Perkins Coie and will work on Obama’s reelection campaign. He will officially leave the White House at the end of June.
Kathryn Ruemmler currently serve’s as Bauer’s deputy and has been at the White House since January of 2010. Ruemmler will be the third White House counsel for this administration (after Bauer and Greg Craig). Prior to the White House, she served at the Department of Justice and, at the office of Latham & Watkins, and was a co-lead prosecutor in the Enron investigations.
For the full announcement go here.
Susan Axelrod, Jen Psaki, Wendi Murdoch and Kaite McCormick Lelyveld at the WHC Garden Brunch
As reported by Politico, First Lady Michelle Obama‘s Press Secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, will be leaving on May 27th to go back to Chicago.
“Obviously, Gibbs’ departure is not the biggest one today,” President Obama joked, referring to the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
So began the 250th press briefing of the Obama Administration and the last time Robert Gibbs stepped behind the podium as the White House Press Secretary.
Obama walked Gibbs into the briefing room after making an official statement to cameras about the situation in Egypt. The president recalled when Gibbs began working for him while he was running for the US Senate in Illinois. “I still didn’t have a lot of money, so all I could afford was Gibbs.”
He then shared a bit of trivia about his keynote address in Boston at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. It was the speech that launched Obama into the national spotlight and set him on the fast track to the White House. But what most of us didn’t know was that they were having a problem deciding which tie Obama should wear. All eyes turned to Gibbs and the blue silk tie around his neck.
Gibbs relented and took off the tie. Obama quipped, [Gibbs was] willing to take one for the Gipper.”
“I have to tell you, that I know there’s a simmering resentment that he never got it back. So as a consequence I wanted here, today, to present on the record, on camera, finally returning Robert’s tie. If he chooses to break the glass, he can,” Obama said as he handed over a frame with the tie, photos and a handwritten note.
“Robert has not only been an extraordinary press secretary but he has been a great friend. You could not ask for somebody better in the foxhole with you.”
Gibbs shook hands and embraced the president who left the room so that he could begin the briefing. While taking his place at the podium, Gibbs joked: “I liked that tie.”
Before jumping into the news of the day, Gibbs took a moment to thank everyone he works with. “It is a tremendous honor and privilege to do this each and every day, to serve and to take part in days like today that are so momentous. I want to thank the president and all of his team for, again, the privilege to serve.”
Watch the briefing here:
The AtlanticWire has also put together some highlights from Gibbs “rocky tenure” and the Los Angeles Times spoke with Gibbs who reflected on tenure as press secretary.
In another sign of a new Obama era, notoriously camera shy David Plouffe, Senior Advisor to the President, is kicking off a new program the White House is calling a “direct line to senior staff.”
With Advise the Advisor, every week a member of senior staff will post a video seeking the opinions and feedback of the American people on different issues. Plouffe kicked off the program with a short video harkening back to the President’s “win the future” State of the Union message.
You can go now to whitehouse.gov/advise and send your thoughts on American innovation. Be sure to check back in to see if your idea passed muster – they promise to read through as much of the feedback as possible and post a summary a few days after the video goes up.
William Daley, JPMorgan Chase senior executive and Secretary of Commerce during the Clinton administration, has been named the new White House Chief of Staff.
Daley officially takes over for Rahm Emanuel who left to return to Chicago to campaign for mayor (coincidentally, Mr. Daley’s brother Richard serves as Chicago’s current Mayor). Pete Rouse, who served as interim chief of staff, will continue as a Counselor to the President.
See the full story in the New York Times.
Bill Daley, Bill Daley Jr., Tom Hynes, and Terry Dee at the CURE Epilepsy Benefit in Chicago 2010
In today’s special announcement in the East Room, President Obama said he was “proud to announce the appointment of an experienced public servant, devoted patriot, and my friend, fellow Chicagoan Bill Daley, to serve as my Chief of Staff. Few Americans can boast the breadth of experience that Bill brings to this job.”
Tina Tchen with her daughter and Matthew Morrison at the 2010 WH Correspondents Brunch
Obama White House Senior Adviser, Tina Tchen, is named Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, replacing Susan Sher who previously announced she is returning to Chicago. Ms. Tchen has most recently worked for Valerie Jarrett as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, and as Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. She will continue to lead the White House efforts for women and girls.
Below is the White House Press Release:
January 5, 2011
Statement from Mrs. Obama
“I am thrilled to welcome Tina to my team. I have admired her work with the White House Council on Women and Girls and her leadership with the Office of Public Engagement. Tina’s tenure at the White House has focused on ensuring that communities across the country have a voice and a presence at the White House, and her office has worked closely with mine to develop many of our outreach efforts, so she was the natural choice for this role. We particularly share a commitment to nurturing young women and utilizing the White House as a platform for education and inclusion, and I look forward to continuing that work together.
“As sad as I am to see Susan go, I always knew she would return to her family and her community in Chicago. She arrived here in January of 2009 intending only to stay for a year and her extended tenure as my Chief of Staff has been a gift. She has led my team with an even hand and a clear vision and I am so grateful to her and her family for her time here in Washington.
“When selecting a replacement, I looked for someone who had the right experience to lead my team and am grateful to bring on Tina, whom I’ve known and respected for 20 years. Tina’s success leading the Office of Public Engagement, reaching out to people across the country and encouraging Americans from all walks of life to feel connected to this White House, makes her uniquely qualified to step up to this position. I look forward to working with her in the years ahead to develop effective strategies for the Let’s Move! campaign, to broaden our work on behalf of military families, to continue the arts and cultural events in the White House, and to advance our international agenda.”
Valerie Jarrett, Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement said, “Tina has been an incredible asset as the Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and the Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. As the President said at the Council’s formation in the spring of 2009, the issues facing women today are not just women’s issues. When women are treated unfairly, that affects our families, our work environments and the next generation of young women. Throughout her career, Tina has been a tireless advocate for women and families, and she brought that wealth of experience and dedication to the White House Council’s efforts. She will bring her leadership, wisdom and passion to her new position and continue to have a substantial impact on the issues affecting America’s women and girls.”
Ms. Tchen began her work for the President and First Lady during the 2008 campaign. Prior to this service, Ms. Tchen was a partner at the Chicago office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where she worked for 23 years in corporate litigation, representing public agencies including the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), the Illinois Department of Public Aid and the Chicago Housing Authority.
Kristina Schake
Even after Susan Sher left the White House last week to return to Chicago, we can welcome a new transplant to the Beltway: Kristina Schake, co-founder of communications firm Griffin|Schake, joins the administration as First Lady Michelle Obama’s communications director.
From a press release sent out this morning:
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kristina to the team. Kristina brings a wealth of expertise that I know will make her a tremendous asset in the East Wing,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “Kristina has done extensive work throughout her career on child nutrition and community health issues, and that paired with her experience as part of a military family will bring invaluable insight to our work on childhood obesity and our efforts to support military families. I look forward to working with Kristina on these efforts and more in the months and years ahead.”
Schake isn’t a stranger to working for powerful heads of state as she worked with former First Lady of California Maria Shriver among tackling obesity issues, “stem cell research and early childhood education a national priority and helped change California’s political landscape on renewable energy and civil rights.”
We can expect to see Schake around Capitol Hill starting in December.
photo via Griffin|Schake
Tom Hanks and Susan Sher at The Jefferson Hotel after a screening of the HBO mini-series "The Pacific"
Susan Sher, Chief of Staff to the First Lady and longtime friend of the Obamas will be returning to Chicago after the first of the year.
“Susan has been both a colleague and a dear friend for decades, and I have been grateful every day for her leadership and wise counsel in Washington,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “I also very much appreciate her generosity in staying longer than she initially planned – spending so many months away from her family in Chicago – to help me build my office in the East Wing. I wish her all the best.”
Sher spearheaded the First Lady’s high-profile anti-obesity campaign Let’s Move! and served as the Administration’s liaison to the Jewish community. She came to Washington with the Obamas in January 2009, working in the White House Counsel’s Office to support the Office of the First Lady. In June 2009, Sher took over as Chief of Staff to the First Lady, adding stability and her own personal style to the East Wing.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Barack Obama Pt. 1 | ||||
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Despite explaining health care reform, the economy and even a ceremonial mug presentation, the takeaway from President Obama on The Daily Show? Dude.
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