The White House Office of Urban Affairs is an office within the White House Office

White House Office

The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The White House Office is headed by the White House Chief of Staff, which was temporarily Pete Rouse, replaced on January 6, 2010 with the permanent appointment of William M. Daley, who is also...

, part of 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...

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History

The Office was established under Executive Order 13503, issued by President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 on February 19, 2009. It is headed by a director, who is assisted by a deputy director. The first director is Adolfo Carrión, Jr.. The director is charged with reporting directly to President Obama and concurrently to both 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...

 and to 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...

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Mission

The purpose of the office is to provide leadership for and coordinate the development of the policy agenda for urban America across executive departments and agencies and with this also to coordinate all aspects of urban policy with all executive departments and agencies to ensure that any policy developed has been examined for its impact on urban affairs. The office also works to ensure that Federal Government dollars targeted to urban areas are effectively spent on the highest-impact programs; and to engage in outreach and work closely with State and local officials, with nonprofit organizations, and with the private sector, both in seeking input regarding the development of a comprehensive urban policy and in ensuring that the implementation of Federal programs advances the objectives of that policy.

External links

• White House Office of Urban Affairs (home page)
• What Happened to the Office of Urban Policy? by Dayo Olopade, The Root, April 27, 2009 (retrieved on July 6, 2009)