Tina Tchen reflects on her relationships with Barack and Michelle Obama, and discusses her service as White House director of public engagement from 2009 to 2011, assistant to the president and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama from 2011 to 2017, and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls from 2009 to 2017. Tchen shares memories from her work on the Obama 2008 pr esidential campaign, and speaks widely about major themes central to the Obama presidency. She provides details about notable issues and initiatives with which she was closely involved in each of her roles, including the structure and organization of the Office of Public Engagement (OPE); the administration's incorporation of public and constituency group engagement into its policy processes; the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell; the launch, interagency activities, and reception of the Council on Women and Girls; relations between the East and West Wings of the Obama White House; policy efforts focused on sexual assault in the military and on college campuses; Joining Forces and the East Wing's work with military families; Michelle Obama's international activities and the Let Girls Learn initiative; the development and launch of Civic Nation and the United State of Women; the use of public-private partnerships; and women's health and reproductive health provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Tchen also considers the evolution of Mrs. Obama's approach to the role of first lady across both terms of the Obama presidency, and describes the importance of the administration's connections with ordinary people
Presidents--United States; Rape in the military--Government policy--United States; Rape in universities and colleges--Government policy--United States; Families of military personnel--Social conditions--Untied States; Reproductive health services--Law and legislation--United States; Women's health services--Law and legislation--United States; Public-private sector cooperation--United States; Tchen, Tina; Obama, Barack; Obama, Michelle, 1964-; White House Council on Women and Girls (U.S.); Let Girls Learn (Program); United States. Office of the First Lady; United States; Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
243 pages
Note (Biographical)
Tina Tchen is an American lawyer and public servant who held a variety of positions in the Obama administration. From 2009 to 2011 she was director of the White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE) and from 2011 to 2017 she was chief of staff to Fi rst Lady Michelle Obama. Throughout all eight years of the Obama presidency, Tchen also served as executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Tchen was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP based in Chicago
Note
Interviewed by Mary Marshall Clark on April 27, May 18, June 24, and December 14, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Tina Tchen, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023