White House Office
Encyclopedia
The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States
Executive Office of the President of the United States
The Executive Office of the President consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President. The EOP is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, currently William M. Daley...

. The White House Office is headed by the White House Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...

, which was temporarily Pete Rouse
Pete Rouse
Peter Mikami Rouse is an American political consultant who served as White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President Barack Obama. Rouse has spent years on Capitol Hill, becoming known as the '101st senator' during his tenure as Chief of Staff to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle...

, replaced on January 6, 2010 with the permanent appointment of William M. Daley
William M. Daley
William Michael “Bill” Daley is an American lawyer and former banker and is the current White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. He served as U.S...

, who is also the head of the Executive Office. The staff of the various offices are based in the West Wing
West Wing
The West Wing is the building housing the official offices of the President of the United States. It is the part of the White House Complex in which the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room are located...

 and East Wing of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and the New Executive Office Building
New Executive Office Building
The New Executive Office Building is an U.S. federal government office building in Washington, D.C., for the executive branch....

.

History

Established in the Executive Office of the President by Reorganization Plan 1 of 1939 and to provide assistance to the President in the performance of his many detailed activities incident to his immediate office. The White House Office is organized in accordance with the wishes of each incumbent President and is directed by staff chosen by the President. A staff authorization was initially established in 1978 (92 Stat. 2445). Some presidential boards, committees, and commissions function organizationally as subunits of the White House Office.

Although still a subunit of the EOP, the White House Office remains the centerpiece of the presidential staff system. In many ways it is closest to the President both in physical proximity, its top aides occupy most of the offices in the West Wing, and in its impact on the day-to-day operations, deliberations, policy agendas, and public communications of a presidency. During the transition to office and continuing throughout an administration, the President enjoys a great deal of discretion in terms of how the White House Office is organized.

Mission

Presidents are free to determine what sub offices and functions will be represented in the staff structure. Most White Houses have some set of staffs handling national security, domestic, and economic policy, but their organizations can vary significantly. Most recent White Houses have offices that deal with the cabinet, congressional affairs, political affairs, intergovernmental affairs, and liaison with the public and a variety of constituency groups. There are usually large operations devoted to the media: a press office, a communications office, other media liaison, and the speechwriting staff. There are offices handling scheduling and preparations for when the President physically leaves the White House (the Advance Office), and a large White House personnel office that oversees presidential appointments throughout the government.

The issues that confront the United States at any one time can not be dealt with by the President alone, and therefore he (or she) must draw on the expertise of the staff he has surrounding him. Successfully launching a presidential policy initiative, effectively staging a presidential event, planning and conducting a meeting of world leaders, or delivering a major address to the nation, all require the collective contributions of different parts of the White House staff. For this to happen effectively there must be a few tough, strong offices exerting centripetal force and pulling the pieces together. First and foremost is the Office of the Chief of Staff. The role and duties of a Chief of Staff vary from administration to administration and even within an administration as one chief of staff may differ from a predecessor or successor. While Chiefs of Staff may differ in the degree of policy advice they provide a President, they are at base the managers of the White House staff system. At least in theory, they are the coordinators bringing the pieces together; they are the tone-setters and disciplinarians making for good organizational order, and often act as the gatekeeper for the President, overseeing every person, document and communication that goes to the President.

Current Key Offices and Staff

Senior Advisors to the President
  • Counselor to the President
    Counselor to the President
    The Counselor to the President is the highest-ranking assistant to the President of the United States for communications, and a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. In the administration of George W. Bush, the Counselor oversaw the Communications, Media Affairs,...

    : Pete Rouse
    Pete Rouse
    Peter Mikami Rouse is an American political consultant who served as White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President Barack Obama. Rouse has spent years on Capitol Hill, becoming known as the '101st senator' during his tenure as Chief of Staff to Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle...

  • Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor is a title used within the Executive Branch of the United States Government for various positions.In the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the title has been used in two different capacities:*In the George W...

    : David Plouffe
    David Plouffe
    David Plouffe is an American political strategist best known as the chief campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign in the United States...

  • Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor is a title used within the Executive Branch of the United States Government for various positions.In the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the title has been used in two different capacities:*In the George W...

     and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement: Valerie Jarrett
    Valerie Jarrett
    Valerie Bowman Jarrett is a senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration. She is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader...



Office of Cabinet Affairs
  • Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary
    Cabinet Secretary
    A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...

    : Chris Lu
    Chris Lu
    Christopher P. Lu is Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary for United States President Barack Obama. Lu graduated from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and from Harvard Law School, where he was a classmate of Obama's. He served as a litigation attorney for the...

    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Cabinet Secretary: Elizabeth Sears Smith


Office of the Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...

  • Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff
    White House Chief of Staff
    The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...

    : William M. Daley
    William M. Daley
    William Michael “Bill” Daley is an American lawyer and former banker and is the current White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. He served as U.S...

    • Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Policy: Nancy-Ann DeParle
    • Assistant to the President and Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Operations: Alyssa Mastromonaco
      Alyssa Mastromonaco
      Alyssa Mastromonaco is Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations in the administration of President Barack Obama.-Education:...



Office of Communications
  • Assistant to the President for Communications and White House Communications Director
    White House Communications Director
    The White House Director of Communications, also known as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the President of the United States, and is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the President and leading its media campaign...

    : Dan Pfeiffer
    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Communications: Jennifer Psaki
      Jennifer Psaki
      Jennifer Rene Psaki is the Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and the Deputy White House Communications Director. A native of Greenwich, Connecticut, Psaki graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2000...

  • Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting: Jon Favreau
    Jon Favreau (speechwriter)
    Jonathan "Jon" Favreau is Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama. Favreau attended the College of the Holy Cross, graduating as valedictorian. In college, he accumulated a variety of scholastic honors, and took part in and directed numerous community and civic programs...



Office of the First Lady
Office of the First Lady of the United States
The Office of the First Lady of the United States is accountable to the First Lady of the United States for her to carry out her duties as hostess of the White House, and is also in charge of all social and ceremonial events of the White House...

  • Chief of Staff to the First Lady: Christina M. Tchen
    • Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady: Melissa Winter
      Melissa Winter
      Melissa Winter was named by Barack Obama's office of presidential transition on November 24, 2008, as Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady....

    • Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady: David Medina
      • Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady: Jocelyn C. Frye


Office of Legislative Affairs
  • Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs: Rob Nabors
    Rob Nabors
    Rob Nabors is the Director of Legislative Affairs in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Senior Advisor to Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel....

    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Legislative Affairs Director: Lisa Konwinski
      • Deputy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives: Dan Turton
      • Deputy Director for the U.S. Senate: Shawn Maher


Office of Management and Administration
  • Director of the Office of Management and Administration: Bradley Kiley
    • White House Personnel
    • White House Operations
    • Telephone Office
    • Visitors Office
      White House Visitors Office
      The White House Visitors Office is responsible for public tours of the White House, for maintaining a facility where the public can obtain information about the White House, and for other White House events such as the White House Easter Egg Roll, Holiday Open Houses, Spring and Fall Garden tours,...



Oval Office Operations
  • Director of Oval Office Operations: Micaela Fernandez
    • Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations: Brian Mosteller
  • Personal Secretary to the President
    Secretary to the President of the United States
    The Secretary to the President was an old 19th and early 20th century White House position that carried out all the tasks now spread throughout the modern White House Office...

    : Katie Johnson
    Katie Johnson (personal secretary)
    Katherine B. "Katie" Johnson served as the personal secretary to United States President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011.-Personal life:Johnson grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, and moved with her parents to Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1999 before entering Wellesley College. She is the oldest of...

  • Personal Aide to the President: Reggie Love
    Reggie Love
    Reginald L. Love serves as the special assistant and personal aide, commonly referred to as body man, to United States President Barack Obama...

  • Confidential Assistant to the President: Eugene Kang
    Eugene Kang
    Eugene Kang is the Special Projects Coordinator and Confidential Assistant to President Barack Obama.Eugene Kang is an Ann Arbor native who attended Greenhills School before enrolling at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Kang made a 2005 bid for the Ann Arbor City Council. He later worked...



Office of Political Affairs
  • Director of the Office of Political Affairs: Patrick Gaspard
    Patrick Gaspard
    Patrick Gaspard is the Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee, and served as Director of the Office of Political Affairs for the Obama administration from January 2009 to 2011...

    • Deputy Director of Political Affairs: Patrick Dillon


Office of Presidential Personnel
  • Director of Presidential Personnel: Don Gips
    • Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel: Kenneth F. Williams-Bennett


Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
The Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States...

  • Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor to the President
    Senior Advisor is a title used within the Executive Branch of the United States Government for various positions.In the Executive Office of the President of the United States, the title has been used in two different capacities:*In the George W...

     and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement: Valerie Jarrett
    Valerie Jarrett
    Valerie Bowman Jarrett is a senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration. She is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader...

    • Office of Public Engagement
      White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
      The Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States...

      • Director of Public Engagement: Jon Carson
    • Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
      White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
      The Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States...

      • Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Cecilia Munoz
        Cecilia Muñoz
        Cecilia Muñoz has served as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House since January 21, 2009. A longtime civil rights advocate, she worked as Senior Vice President for the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation at the National Council of La Raza , a nonprofit organization...

      • Council on Women and Girls
        White House Council on Women and Girls
        The White House Council on Women and Girls is a council, which forms part of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs established by on March 11, 2009 with a broad mandate to advise the President on issues relating to the welfare of women...

        • Chair of the Council on Women and Girls: Valerie Jarrett
          Valerie Jarrett
          Valerie Bowman Jarrett is a senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration. She is a Chicago lawyer, businesswoman, and civic leader...

    • Office of Urban Affairs Policy
      White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy
      The White House Office of Urban Affairs is an office within the White House Office, part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.-History:...

      • Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Urban Affairs: Adolfo Carrion


Office of the Press Secretary
White House Office of the Press Secretary
The White House Office of the Press Secretary, or the Press Office, is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to three principal groups: the President, the White House staff, and the media...

  • Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary
    White House Press Secretary
    The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....

    : Jay Carney
    Jay Carney
    James "Jay" Carney is an American journalist and President Barack Obama's second White House Press Secretary. Prior to his appointment as Press Secretary, replacing Robert Gibbs, he was director of communications to Vice President Joe Biden...

    • Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Press Secretary: Bill Burton
    • Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Deputy Press Secretary: Josh Earnest


Office of Scheduling and Advance
  • Director of Scheduling and Advance:
    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Advance and Operations: Emmett Beliveau
      • Special Assistant to the President and Trip Director for the President: Marvin Nicholson
    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Appointments and Scheduling: Danielle Crutchfield


Office of the Staff Secretary
White House Office of the Staff Secretary
The Staff Secretary is a position in the White House Office, responsible for managing communications to the president and circulating documents among senior staff for comment. Sometimes described as "the nerve center of the White House," the position was created under President Dwight D. Eisenhower...

  • Deputy Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary: Rajesh De
    • Presidential Correspondence
      Office of Presidential Letters and Messages
      The White House Office of Presidential Letters and Messages, one of the busiest offices in the Executive Office of the President , drafts and reviews letters, messages and proclamations from and signed by the President. During the Presidency of Bill Clinton, the Office annually prepared over 6,000...

    • Executive Clerk
    • Records Management


Office of the White House Counsel
  • Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
    White House Counsel
    The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.-Role:The Counsel's role is to advise the President on all legal issues concerning the President and the White House...

    : Robert Bauer
    Robert Bauer
    Robert F. Bauer is an American attorney who previously served as White House Counsel under President of the United States Barack Obama.-Education:...

    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Counsel to the President:Daniel J. Meltzer
    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President: Cassandra Butts
      Cassandra Butts
      Cassandra Quin Butts is a United States lawyer, policy expert and former Deputy White House counsel. On December 23, 2008, Butts was selected by President-elect Obama to serve as Deputy White House Counsel, focusing on domestic policy and ethics. She was also on the advisory board for...

    • Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President: Mary B. DeRosa


Office of White House Policy
  • Domestic Policy Council
    United States Domestic Policy Council
    The Domestic Policy Council of the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering domestic policy matters, excluding economic matters, which are the domain of the National Economic Council...

    • Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Director of the Domestic Policy Council: Melody Barnes
      Melody Barnes
      Melody C. Barnes was chosen by President Barack Obama to serve as the Director of the Domestic Policy Council for his administration. Obama announced her appointment on November 24, 2008. She was previously Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress and led the CAP's...

      • Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Deputy-Director of the Domestic Policy Council: Mark Zuckerman
    • Office of National AIDS Policy
      Office of National AIDS Policy
      The Office of National AIDS Policy coordinates the continuing domestic efforts to reduce the number of new infections in the United States. In addition, the Office works to coordinate an increasingly integrated approach to the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The Office also emphasizes...

      • Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy: Jeffrey Crowley
        Jeffrey Crowley
        Jeffrey S. Crowley is a member of the Domestic Policy Council in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and has been the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy since February 2009. His job is to coordinate the U.S...

    • Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
      • Director of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships: Joshua DuBois
        Joshua DuBois
        Joshua DuBois is the head of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the Executive Office of the President of the United States under President Barack Obama....

    • Office of Health Reform
      White House Office of Health Reform
      The White House Office of Health Reform is a new government entity in the United States created by President Barack Obama. The office forms part of the Domestic Policy Council which is part of the Office of White House Policy. The Director of the Office of Health Reform is titled the Deputy...

      • Director of Health Reform:
        • Deputy Director of Health Reform: Jeanne Lambrew
          Jeanne Lambrew
          Jeanne Lambrew is a United States professor of public affairs and health policy. She has been named to serve in the Obama administration as Deputy Director of the new White House Office of Health Reform.-Education:...

    • Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation
      • Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Social Innovation and Civic Participation: Sonal R. Shah
  • National Economic Council
    • Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council: Gene Sperling
      Gene Sperling
      Gene B. Sperling is an American lawyer and political figure, currently serving as a Counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. He is also on the staff of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he serves as Senior Fellow for Economic Policy and Director of the Center on Universal Education. He...

      • Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy-Director of the National Economic Council: Diana Farrell
        Diana Farrell
        Diana Farrell was a member and one of two Deputy Directors of the United States National Economic Council in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was also a member of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry. On November 22, 2010, Farrell announced that she would be leaving...

      • Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Deputy-Director of the National Economic Council: Jason Furman
        Jason Furman
        Jason Furman is an economist and influential policy intellectual. On January 28, 2009, Furman was named Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the administration of President Barack Obama, whom he'd been advising since the latter stages of the 2008 presidential campaign...



White House Fellows
White House Fellows
The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...

  • Director, President's Commission on White House Fellowships: Cindy Moelis


White House Military Office
White House Military Office
The White House Military Office , an entity of the Executive Office of the President, provides military support for White House functions, including food service, Presidential transportation, medical support and emergency medical services, and hospitality services...

  • Director of the White House Military Office: George D. Mulligan Jr.
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