Think beyond

Special Assistant to the President and Director, Office of the Chief of Staff

Q. What are your responsibilities as director of the Office of the White House Chief of Staff? 
A. I ensure that the White House Chief of Staff is prepared on a daily basis to handle the breadth of challenges involved in managing the White House and optimally executing the president’s priorities. This involves preparing the chief of staff for internal and external meetings; making determinations about what people, news and activities he needs access to and when; and staying in touch with all components of the White House. Finally, it frequently involves delivering bad news—as well as reasonable options for how to handle it.

Q. Has your Drew education contributed to your career achievements? 
A. In the various positions I’ve held in government, one constant has been the need to handle multiple and varied assignments at the same time. No day proceeds the way it was planned, and rarely does a day involve less than three challenges in completely separate areas. Drew prepared me to handle this variety, not only with its well-rounded liberal arts education but also with hands-on experience through internships and student leadership. These many opportunities helped me become a grounded, confident person better prepared to withstand the pressures of any challenging career. Finally, my Drew education gave me a solid foundation for success in graduate school; I earned a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University in 1999.

Q. Was there an academic course at Drew that was particularly meaningful to your intellectual growth?
A. I would mention two very different classes. One was Professor Phil Mundo’s class on the Congress. Professor Mundo gave his students the information and structure we needed, but then allowed us to discuss the substantive matters with each other. We learned a lot from him, but we probably learned as much from each other. And I think if you asked him, he’d say that was success.

The other course, taught by Professor Emeritus David Cowell, was about the history of irrational thought. This course was designed to challenge everything you think you think—and perhaps blow your mind a little. But by the time the semester was over, you didn’t come out despairing or confused, you came out ready to challenge the way you and those around you see the world.

Q. Did you take advantage of any of Drew’s many study abroad opportunities?
A. I participated in a Drew International Seminar, traveling to London and Brussels to study the European Union. Through the course work with Drew professors, I learned a great deal about the history and institutions of the European Union. The time actually traveling was great fun, and a real learning opportunity, both in terms of personal growth and academic strides. My first primary research, for example, included interviewing members of the European parliament and other European Union officials. 

Q. What’s the most important thing to know about Drew?
A. That Drew is the kind of place that affords a student the greatest chance to become their best self: a strong, well-rounded, knowledgeable person with the creativity to find what will make them happy in life, and the skills to make that life a success in the real world.