Obama-Biden Transition Project
Former President Barack Obama's 501(c)(4) organization called the Obama-Biden Transition Project was formed to assemble his administration.
John Podesta
John Podesta was a co-chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.[1]
Obama announces transition-team staff
Verbatim from Politico dated November 6 2008:[1]
President-elect Barack Obama announced Wednesday the formation of the transition team that will assemble his administration, the first step in preparing to assume the presidency on January 20, 2009.
The team, incorporated as a 501(c)(4) organization called the Obama-Biden Transition Project, is headed by a triumvirate of the Illinois senator’s close advisers, including John Podesta, who served as President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, Pete Rouse, Obama’s chief of staff in his Senate office, and Valerie Jarrett, a family friend and counselor to Obama.
Along with the three chairs, the Transition Project will include a team of elected officials and veteran political professionals to help steer the turnover of power. In addition to Podesta, the list includes several other former Clinton administration officials, including former energy secretary Federico Pena, former EPA administrator Carol Browner, former assistant secretary of state for Africa Susan Rice and former commerce secretary William Daley.
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who endorsed Obama during the Democratic primaries earlier this year, and who is viewed as a top contender for the position of attorney general, will also aid in the effort.
Two of Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s longtime advisers, Mark Gitenstein and Ted Kaufman, will co-chair Biden’s side of the transition effort.
In past presidential transitions, the officials at the top of the transition team have often landed plum jobs in the president-elect’s administration. Warren Christopher, who helped lead the Clinton-Gore transition effort in 1992, also served as President Clinton’s first secretary of state.
In addition to announcing the co-chairs and senior advisors, the organization formerly known as the Obama-Biden campaign also released a list of staff members who will be aiding the transition effort, among them many veterans of the latest election.
Dan Pfeiffer, who served as the Obama-Biden campaign’s communications director, will serve in that capacity on the transition team and Stephanie Cutter, who worked as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, will be the chief spokesperson for the transition effort.
The chief of staff for Obama’s campaign, Jim Messina, will serve in the influential role of personnel director, aided by associate personnel director Patrick Gaspard, the campaign’s national political director.
The full list of senior advisers and senior staff for the transition team follows.
Co-chairs
John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett, Pete Rouse
Senior advisers
Carol Browner, William Daley, Christopher Edley, Michael Froman, Julius Genachowski, Donald Gips, Governor Janet Napolitano, Federico Pena, Susan Rice, Sonal Shah, Mark Gitenstein, and Ted Kaufman
Senior staff
- Chris Lu – Executive Director
- Dan Pfeiffer – Communications Director
- Stephanie Cutter – Chief Spokesperson
- Cassandra Butts – General Counsel
- Jim Messina – Personnel Director
- Patrick Gaspard – Associate Personnel Director
- Christine Varney - Personnel Counsel
- Melody Barnes – Co-Director of Agency Review
- Lisa Brown – Co-Director of Agency Review
- Phil Schiliro – Director of Congressional Relations
- Michael Strautmanis – Director of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Katy Kale – Director of Operations
- Brad Kiley – Director of Operations
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Obama, McCain Transition Efforts Are Worlds Apart Huffington Post, Nov. 8, 2008 Cite error: Invalid
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