White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
The Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs is a unit of the White House Office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It was formerly known as the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Under President Donald Trump, Director Anthony Scaramucci oversees the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
History[edit]
The Office of Public Liaison has been responsible for communicating and interacting with various interest groups. Under President Richard Nixon, Charles Colson performed public liaison work. President Gerald Ford first formalized the public liaison office after he took office in 1974, giving Nixon administration veteran William J. Baroody Jr. a mandate for OPL to become "an instrument for projecting the image of a truly open administration (in contrast to Nixon’s) and to secure Ford’s reelection. Under Baroody’s direction, the office incorporated outreach efforts with consumers and women that had been located elsewhere in the White House, and the overall staff grew to approximately thirty. At the core of its activities was an aggressive campaign of regional conferences that enabled the nation’s first un-elected president to tour the country in a campaign-like atmosphere and prepare the way for an eventual reelection campaign."[1]
Some OPL heads used the office to push their own agendas. Midge Costanza used her time at OPL to broaden the influence of gays and lesbians in White House policy".[1] Faith Ryan Whittlesey used her time at OPL to increase the influence of the religious right[2] and anti-communist groups, such as the Contras in Central America.[3]
Future cabinet secretary and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole headed OPL under President Ronald Reagan from 1981-1983. Directors during Bill Clinton's administration included future cabinet secretary Alexis Herman, Maria Echaveste, Minyon Moore and future John Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill.[4]
Under the Obama administration, the Office of Public Engagement has been referred to as "the front door to the White House, through which everyone can participate and inform the work of the President." In May 2009, Obama continued this theme and renamed the Office of Public Liaison the Office of Public Engagement.[5]
In April 2009, actor Kal Penn was named an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement.[6] His role was said to include outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and the arts community.[7] Prior to the appointment, he was a permanent cast member in the television series House, and his acceptance required him to be written out of the series.[8]
Function[edit]
The Office of Public Engagement seeks to allow the views of the ordinary American citizen to be more readily heard within the administration. The Office also seeks to coordinate events that bring members of the administration in contact with members of the public. The "town-hall" style meetings held by President Donald Trump since being elected are an example of this policy at work. The Office also acts as a cheerleader for the administration and seeks to ensure, along with the Office of Communications, the coordination of the administration message amongst different departments in order to ensure full and balanced exposure.
The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs works closely with state and local officials elected by the American people to ensure America's citizens and their elected officials have a government that works effectively for them and with them. Due to the importance that state and local governments are to the creation and implementation of national policy, it is especially important for the Office to provide a readily accessible method of direct communication for local officials to discuss and raise awareness of local concerns.
Key staff[edit]
Assistant to the President and Director of Public Lialison and Intergovernmental Affairs: Anthony Scaramucci
- Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs: TBA
- Director of Planning and Events for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs: Monique Dorsainvil
- Director of Communications for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs: Omarosa Manigault
Office of Public Engagement
- Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement: Paulette Aniskoff
- Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Director of Public Engagement: Julie Chavez Rodriguez
- Deputy Director of Public Engagement: Ashley Allison
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Jerry Abramson[9]
- Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Adrian Saenz
- Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Rohan Patel
List of Assistants[edit]
The following have held the office of Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs (Public Liaison).
Officeholder | Term start | Term end | President |
---|---|---|---|
Chuck Colson | July 9, 1970 | March 10, 1973 | Richard Nixon |
William Baroody | March 10, 1973 | January 20, 1977 | |
Gerald Ford | |||
Midge Costanza | January 20, 1977 | September 1, 1978 | Jimmy Carter |
Anne Wexler | September 1, 1978 | January 20, 1981 | |
Elizabeth Dole | January 20, 1981 | February 7, 1983 | Ronald Reagan |
Faith Whittlesey | March 3, 1983 | March 19, 1985 | |
Linda Chavez | April 8, 1985 | February 4, 1986 | |
Mari Maseng | May 12, 1986 | July 1987 | |
Rebecca Range | September 2, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | |
Bobbie Kilberg | January 20, 1989 | April 6, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
Cecile Kremer | April 6, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | |
Alexis Herman | January 20, 1993 | February 7, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
Maria Echaveste | February 7, 1997 | June 29, 1998 | |
Minyon Moore | June 29, 1998 | February 5, 1999 | |
Mary Beth Cahill | February 5, 1999 | January 20, 2001 | |
Lezlee Westine | January 20, 2001 | May 25, 2005 | George W. Bush |
Rhonda Keenum | May 25, 2005 | March 20, 2007 | |
Julie Cram | March 20, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | |
Valerie Jarrett | January 20, 2009 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama |
Anthony Scaramucci | January 20, 2017 | present | Donald Trump |
References[edit]
- ^ a b White House Transition Project. p. 4.
- ^ Martin, William (1996) With God On Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America. New York: Broadway. p. 235 ISBN 0-7679-2257-3
- ^ Sklar, Holly (1995) Washington's War on Nicaragua. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. p. 244 ISBN 0-89608-295-4
- ^ White House Transition Project. p. 21.
- ^ "President Obama Launches Office of Public Engagement: A New Name, Mission for White House Liaison Office" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ The Atlantic
- ^ CNN.com: Actor Kal Penn joining the Obama administration
- ^ "Kal Penn tackles a new role: White House liaison". Los Angeles Times. 2009-04-10.
- ^ Loftus, Tom (2014-11-06). "Abramson resigns to work for Obama". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2014.