Deesha Dyer describes her service in various administrative and social roles in the Obama White House. Dyer focuses on her efforts to expand the reach of White House social events and programming, targeting groups and communities historically underrepresented on the White House social calendar. Dyer also provides details about the planning and execution of White House social events, including those she oversaw as social secretary, such as the state visits of Pope Francis and Xi Jinping in 2015. Dyer also reflects on the symbolic importance of President and Mrs. Obama, and her motivations for pursuing a career in public service
Deesha Dyer served as the social secretary for the Obama administration from 2015 to 2017. From 2009 until her appointment as social secretary, Dyer held several positions within the White House Department of Scheduling and Advance. After leaving the White House, she was a 2019 resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics and is the founder and CEO of Hook & Fasten, a social impact firm
Note
Interviewed by Terrell D. Frazier on August 17, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Deesha Dyer, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022