Why Desiree Rogers had to get the boot.

Many have said that Ms. Rogers should not have been relieved of her duties, but the fact is that she never should have been hired for this position.

When you upstage the First Lady of the United States, pose constantly for various high class magazines, seen viewing the runways during New York Fashion Week, then do not perform your job for the Obamas first State Dinner, what else can be expected?

Remember, the Secret Service fell on the sword and took one for the White House in regards to the debacle of the State Dinner and the uninvited guests that just walked on in. The reality is that Social Secretaries do not put themselves on a guest list for a major event, they WORK THE EVENT at the door. That is why Desiree Rogers was quietly told to resign as it should be.

Long before the State Dinner party crashers and the tension with her White House colleagues and the strain in her relationship with the first lady, Desirée Rogers began to understand she was in trouble when David Axelrod summoned her to his office last spring to scold her.

Ms. Rogers had appeared in another glossy magazine, posing in a White House garden in a borrowed $3,495 silk pleated dress and $110,000 diamond earrings. But if the image was jarring in a time of recession, Mr. Axelrod was as bothered by the words and her discussion of “the Obama brand” and her role in promoting it, according to people informed about the conversation.

“The president is a person, not a product,” he was said to tell her. “We shouldn’t be referring to him as a brand.” read more here...

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Desiree Rogers out in March

On MSNBC it was just announced that Social Secretary Desiree Rogers is leaving the White House in March, which is NEXT WEEK.

Expect a new secretary already in the wings to emerge a few days after Rogers leaves.

I have been critical of Rogers who let the "reality show tv people" waltz into the President and First Lady's first State of the Union Dinner for the Prime Minister of India.

Seems like the White House is starting to realize they need to perform sweepers, let us hope Rahm Emanuel is NEXT.

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers told me Friday she will step down next month, after presiding over 330 events in the White House in 14 months.

Rogers is departing after achieving a major goal of President Obama and First Lady Michelle -- opening up the White House to make it the "peoples house."

"As we turn the corner on the first year," Rogers told me, "this is a good time for me to explore opportunities in the corporate world."

Rogers told me it has been "an honor and a privilege to serve this president and First Lady, in what has certainly been a historic presidency."

Rogers, a friend of the First Couple for years, was one of the first Obama administration appointees.

"When I took on this assignment, we talked about the importance of creating the people's house. My work was really to create this framework," she told me.

"I think I completed that work. Our office has been able to lay the foundation for what will be known as the 'people's house' and it has already taken shape."

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It REALLY is time for Desiree Rogers to go (Video)

I just finished watching Sally Quinn of the Washington Post talk about White House security, since it has been revealed that a third person crashed the White House State Dinner.

I stated that someone needs to take the hit for not doing their job and stated Desiree Rogers. She and her department just did not perform their jobs. Rogers is there to SERVE the President, not make herself a guest, mingle and not do her job, which is what she did the night of the Obamas first State Dinner.

Rogers is a close friend to the Obamas, but in this issue, friendship needs to be put aside. This snafu is a reflection of the President and his handling and running of the White House. If something happened to Barack Obama there are no second chances, in regards to security of the First Family, NO SECOND CHANCES.

Rogers need to go.

Now it turns out that there was a third uninvited guest at the White House state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, this one a member of the Indian delegation. It was enough of a shock that the would-be stars Tareq and Michaele Salahi had crashed. But a third? The Salahi story may have been delicious, but the implications of the appalling breach of security are immense. The president could have been assassinated. And had that happened, the Office of the White House Social Secretary would have been as culpable as the Secret Service.

One of the first lessons any administration needs to learn is that somebody has to take the hit for whatever goes wrong. If another culprit is not identified, the president gets the blame. One incident after another in the past few months has shown that members of this administration would rather lay low and let Barack Obama be the target. This has got to stop.

Did you read the bold above, which I put emphasis on? It does have to stop and people in these jobs need to resign or be FIRED.

Many in Washington wondered why the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, did not resign over the state dinner security breach. At least Sullivan testified before Congress on the subject. White House social secretary Desirée Rogers came under fire after the Salahi scandal erupted. From the start, Rogers was an unlikely choice for social secretary. She was not of Washington, considered by many too high-powered for the job and more interested in being a public figure (and thus upstaging the first lady) than in doing the gritty, behind-the-scenes work inherent in that position. That Rogers stayed and that the White House refused to allow her to testify before Congress reflected badly on the president. He, not a member of his staff, ended up looking incompetent. Although it has emerged that a State Department protocol error is to blame for the presence of a third uninvited guest, both Rogers and Sullivan should step down.

This above paragraph is true about Rogers. Desiree Rogers is not the best fit for this job and she has continuously tried to be a publicity hound, power player instead of a SERVANT, there to SERVE the White House.

Michelle Obama time to cut the ropes LOOSE. And for the President to continue to take hits is WRONG. Let Desiree Rogers, GO.



Read the whole article, here.

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Valerie Jarrett explaining away Desiree Rogers (Video)

Desiree Rogers assigned herself as a "guest" and not a "staffer", at the State Dinner? The White House wants this to go away, but when you have the Social Secretary acting in this manner and we have a President who has the most death threats of any sitting President, somebody needs to be FIRED over this. Oh, Rogers gets executive privilege, that is why she is not testifying in front of congress today. Good interview by Meredith Viera of The Today Show.



FROM NPR:

But Rogers' style and glamour are a double-edged sword, one that might have drawn a little political blood over the past few days after the gate-crasher snafu.

Other social secretaries have stood on the steps to greet guests as they enter the White House for state dinners; it's considered an extension of the first lady's hospitality, since she can't be there at the moment herself. Instead of greeting guests, Rogers functioned as one: she walked the press line, posed for photos and became fodder for the chattering classes by sticking out from the formal versions of Ann Taylor-wear normally seen at state occasions by coming to dinner in cutting-edge Japanese couture.

Some have even suggested that Rogers step down, since she can't contain her own ego needs to serve the first lady. That probably won't happen. For one thing, she has a powerful protector and loyal friend in Obama mentor Valerie Jarrett. For another, Michelle Obama values Rogers' style and savvy; the first lady clearly feels her social secretary has her back when it counts, regardless of what she's wearing.

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Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers still getting slammed (Video)

The White House still protecting her. Yes, she falls under the West Wing, but after her major snafu of not doing her job for the State Dinner which resulted with the uninvited guests who actually PUNKED the White House, just how long will she go on in her position. She is a MAJOR embarrassment to the White House. I am on this because she clearly did not have the list together, 2 people from her office was TOLD that these people was not on the list, and all she cares about is being SEEN. I have NEVER witnessed a Social Secretary acting like she is the focal point over the persons who live in the White House. Again, Obamas, I know she is your friend, but one who obviously does not understand what her position and job is. Clean it up. Watch video below, 1/2 way into it.



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Desiree Rogers lack of doing her job, continues..... (Video)

Again, the Desiree Rogers story continues.....

The White House says its social secretary will not testify at a congressional hearing into the security lapse that mistakenly allowed a couple into last week's state dinner.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that Desiree Rogers will not testify before the House Homeland Security Committee. The panel has scheduled a hearing Thursday and Rogers had been invited to testify. Gibbs cited the separation of powers and a history of White House staff not testifying before Congress.

The Secret Service has acknowledged that Michaele and Tareq Salahi got into the Nov. 24 dinner because its security procedures at a checkpoint were not followed. Rogers also has acknowledged that no one from her office was at the checkpoint to help identify guests.

This is the problem with Rogers, for DECADES the Social Secretary's office worked in TANDEM with the Secret Service in verifying guests at every entrance to the White House. Rogers needs to focus on doing her job and not worry about being in the society columns, social columns, fashion magazines, stop walking red carpets and being announced for any White House duties and stop trying to one up the First Lady. It took Robert Gibbs to tell her to get out of the picture with VOGUE magazine. I have never heard of a Social Secretary doing all that she is doing. In fact, the Social Secretary is to be invisible to the President and First Lady, but I guess she wants everyone to know who she is. Well, we certainly do NOW, after this major security breach.

And this scathing piece on Rogers....

On the night of the Obamas' first state dinner, White House social secretary Desirée Rogers glided past the rope line of press and photographers at 6:53 p.m., pausing to boast, "We are very excited . . . everything looks great." Little did she know that the evening would end up tarnishing her vaunted reputation as an overachieving perfectionist.

[snip]

On Thursday, a House committee wants answers from her about how this could happen. A key question: Was anyone from Rogers's office staffing the front gate? Even though Secret Service has accepted full responsibility for the security lapse, Rogers also has indicated that none of her staff was present when the Salahis arrived. As a result, her managerial style is under scrutiny. And her Hollywood persona, fairly or unfairly, could prove to be the most damning evidence of all.

Rogers -- the point person for the high-profile, high-security, high-stakes diplomatic gala for the Indian prime minister -- was dressed in a pale peach gown from the avant-garde Japanese design house Comme des Garcons. It was the sort of attention-getting dress, with its translucent sleeves and strands of pearls encased in layers of tulle, that proclaimed the wearer a fashion savant.

"Just because she has this job, it's not going to make her a worker bee," says a friend who did not want to be identified in order not to offend. "She's glamorous."

Barack and Michelle Obama, she may be your very good friend, but not only does she need to step in the background and try to do her job, maybe, you should replace her with someone who KNOWS how to do the job.

From the White House on NEW procedures for State Dinners



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White House protecting Desiree Rogers on her LACK of understanding her job (Video)

Desiree Rogers, Social Secretary has been under much warranted scrutiny for the Virginia couple who got into the State Dinner, uninvited. Obviously, the proper protocol was not followed by her office to verify guests on the list, along with the Secret Service. It is all broken down, here.

On Hardball with Chris Matthews today, Congressman Bennie Thompson was questioned by Matthews on why this embarrassment is just being thrown on the Secret Service when two persons from the East Wing was TOLD that these individuals was not on the list and they did NOTHING. Rogers was even quick to state, "We were not at the door", like that is supposed to EXCUSE her office for not doing their job, when they WERE supposed to be at all doors verifying the list.

So, the representative to EXPLAIN Ms. Rogers confusion of not doing her job to congress is none other than, Melody Barnes. Ms. Barnes is the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, for the President of the United States. She has NOTHING to do with the East Wing, or Desiree Rogers job.

It is clear the White House want to move on past this, I certainly do, but Desiree Rogers clearly did not follow proper protocol on verifying individuals coming into the White House. I am on this because Barack Obama is the only sitting President with over 400% death threats against him. Folks, that is a record and Rogers is busy walking down the red carpet, being seen on television, getting up close to the powerful and famous, while neglecting her primary job.

Rogers has made Michelle Obama's office look inefficient and she needs to resign.

From Hardball:



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Desiree Rogers, Social Secretary of the White House, needs to resign (Video)

We know the Secret Service is being called on the carpet now, as it should be, but Desiree Rogers the Social Secretary of the White House needs to be called on the carpet, too.

During the 2008 Democratic Primaries, we watched how the Hillary Clinton Campaign (inevitable) perform a complete meltdown. Why? One primary reason was because she had friends in positions of her campaign who were NOT qualified for their job, thus we saw the unraveling of an inevitable campaign struggle with money, message to the end.

Thus, Desiree Rogers a friend of the Obamas is totally not qualified for this job. Watch these videos from Hardball and ask yourself, why did the First Lady's Social Secretary NOT have anyone to verify these names of the party crashers at the door of the White House. In the past, the Social Secretary's office ALWAYS had someone from her office to verify the names on the LIST. Why was Rogers or anyone from her office not doing this? And Rogers, who attempted to throw this all in the Secret Service's lap stated, "We had no one at the door." Ms. Rogers, bad mistake.

I don't want to see the Obamas go down the drain with more major security issues by having people in positions who are not qualified. Rogers showed that from the State Dinner. President Barack Obama has gotten the most death threats for any sitting president. Just for knowing this security and scrutiny to anyone who walks through the White House doors should be the most IMPORTANT job there is. The Secret Security failed and Ms. Rogers failed. Neither performed their jobs accurately, thus we saw President Obama get punked by uninvited guests who are taping for the reality show, The Real Housewives of D.C.

Do you think the White House is laughing now? Ms. Rogers you need to resign, end of story. And the Obamas? It is about competence, remember that.

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Social Secretary: The Iron Butterfly

From Maureen @ East Wing Rules.

[snip]

The blowback in the current administrations Social Office has been minimal so far. Desirée Rogers has handled many thing really well by virtue of her executive experience, education and foremost her relationship with the first lady. Innovation in White House entertainment is part of the Obama Charm with the Easter Egg Roll, picnic and the Governor's Ball. Desirée has had a jaw-dropping gaping hole in her judgment by even considering having herself photographed in Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden wearing an Oscar de la Renta ball gown and needed a veto from the West Wing before the idea was fully dropped. As previously fretted about, Desirée Rogers penchant for publicity is a two-edged sword as the role is not at all about her - yet her self-stylized branding is about her being a cultural liaison (do the Obamas need a translator) before she has even put on a full state visit. The ramifications of even thinking of a state dinner in this economic climate would be as loopy as even dreaming of having your picture taken wearing a high-end designer trench coat by Viktor & Rolf and Cartier earrings in the East Room and your not even the first lady.

The recent contretemps in the East Wing With the 4 month on the Job Chief of Staff, Jackie Norris, leaving for a lower profile job with a volunteer organization has some genesis in the friction between her & Rogers. Susan Sher, Norris's replacement, is a great friend of Rogers and senior West Wing official Valerie Jarrett and a former boss of the first lady. A noticeable detail is how much the Social Secretary is photographed with the first lady or the family at events. The Secret Service are probably the best at being omnipresent and positioning themselves out of the frame of certain shots. read it all here...

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Desiree Rogers, powerhouse behind the East Wing?

Ask former, Jackie Sher, who resigned or so they say....

One early miscalculation on Norris’ s part was that she tried to take on Desiree Rogers, a close friend of the first lady, insisting that the social secretary report to her. The disagreement culminated in what one aide described as a “blowup.” Valerie Jarrett, aide to the president and a friend of both women, had to step in and smooth over a conflict that many thought should never have been engaged. “We brought in people with strong personalities and passions,” Norris said. “Disagreements are inevitable.”

Desiree Rogers is a good looking, highly competent, sophisticated and Chicago armed individual. As was told from me, just on speculation from East Wing Rules, Desiree Rogers IS the one that Michelle Obama listens to. The ousting of Sher proves it.


Now on the other hand was Sher effective for Michelle Obama?

Although Obama's job-approval ratings have soared, the first lady -- a Harvard-educated lawyer -- wasn't satisfied with coasting. She is hiring a full-time speechwriter and has instructed her staff to think "strategically" so that every event has a purpose and a message. She doesn't want to simply go to events and hug struggling military families, she said; she wants to show progress. "Her desire is to step out more and have deliverables," said communications chief Camille Johnston. "It's about things that are coming up that we want to be a part of: child nutrition reauthorization act, prevention and wellness for health-care reform. ..."

In the past couple of weeks, Obama has been more vocal about the specifics of the president's health plan, and she will play a substantive role in promoting it. She will soon announce the creation of an advisory board to help military families. And she will be the face of the administration's United We Serve, a summer-long national service program, which she launched on Monday. Even her social events have a message: She let congressional families know that before the annual White House barbecue Thursday, the 500 guests are expected to show up at Fort McNair in the capital to stuff camp backpacks with goodies for the children of military personnel.

Obama has also taken stock of her family life, which she has found to be more constrained than she expected. She has concluded that there's really only one road toward some semblance of a private life for them -- and it leads away from the White House.

I totally understand all this, especially a private life. Notice that the Obamas have spent a lot of time at Camp David. Why? It is PHOTO, PAPARAZZI, MEDIA FREE!!! The Obama Family can have the PRIVACY that lacks, even living in the White House.

More insight here...

In naming Sher, Obama took another step toward recreating her Chicago life on a world stage. She has surrounded herself with familiar faces, starting with her mother, who lives in the White House and takes daughters Malia and Sasha to school every day in an unmarked SUV. Obama begins her day at 5:30 a.m. with another Chicago transplant, Cornell McClellan, who has been her and her husband's personal trainer for 12 years. The family's meals are largely prepared by Chicagoan Sam Kass, a White House assistant chef, who also oversees the organic garden.

After the move to Washington, Obama sat down with her staff and two calendars: one from the office and one from Sidwell Friends, her daughters' new school. No events would be scheduled that presented a potential conflict with the girls. But she quickly discovered that her days off don't allow her any real freedom. When she wore shorts to walk the dog last week in a sheltered spot on the White House lawn, photos showed up on the Internet within hours.

Yes, I remember those photos. Grant it, no big deal because many of us walk our dog, for me DOGS, with poop bags, etc. It is no glam job. We are out there with no make up, no high heel shoes, enjoying the exercise with our pets, but for Michelle Obama it is different. Going out there, like that is not flattering and for some, NOT ME, but some that is not what they want to see a First Lady doing. Now this argument can be argued from here to there, but the privacy and frustration factor is understandable in Michelle Obama's thought. The "Damn, I can't even take Bo out for a poop without photographers....", yes, it is frustrating. But Michelle Obama, this is part of the JOB and the White House is DEFINITELY not a place for total privacy.

But, no matter what anyone may think or not think about Desiree Rogers, Michelle Obama TRUSTS her and her judgment.

One of the first people let in on Obama's vision was the woman charged with executing the cultural and social message for the White House: Rogers, 50, the first African American social secretary. The stuffy world of protocol has never seen the likes of Rogers, a glamorous Harvard MBA and former corporate executive, who unabashedly posed in $100,000 earrings for a magazine photo shoot -- much to the amusement of her boosters in the East Wing, and the anxiety of the president's advisers. Axelrod, an old friend, was agitated by the WSJ magazine profile in which she wore the earrings and talked about the "Obama brand."

Obama tasked Rogers with ensuring that every social event has a populist component, as she did last week when Duke Ellington High School students attended workshops with jazz greats. Rogers said that the Obamas want to convey that coming to the White House is "just a home visit." That's why, she said, the first lady hugs so many people who walk through the doors. "You try to take the fear out of just the mere awe of walking through the gates."

The Obamas are in no rush to schedule a state dinner for a foreign head of state, Rogers said. At the president's request, the first lady is planning a series of intimate "salon dinners." Rogers said she had provided the Obamas with a list of about 1,000 arts, business and science names and several suggested guest lists. "The opportunity to have 10 people that you're interested in and hear what they have to say about something," she said. "How fabulous!"

Read the whole article, here.

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The First Lady's Inner Circle (Video)

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The Lady "D", is "Selling the Obama Brand"

I know some folks who don't care too much for Desiree Rogers, my opinion is still out on her, but the woman is fierce. And if she is selling the "Obama Brand", all snaps because girlfriend is doing a hell of a job doing so.

Desirée Glapion Rogers is the descendant of a Creole voodoo priestess named Marie Laveau Glapion. The first time I meet her, she welcomes me into her East Wing lair—a rhythm and blues tune plays on a white iPod, a potted white orchid perches between two windows, fresh flowers sit on a heavy wooden desk. This is a woman who never sees a wilted bloom. The 49-year-old turns on just enough Southern charm to camouflage an aura of self-assuredness typically reserved for runway models or first ladies. Wearing a crisp white shirt, black patent flats and high-waisted navy slacks that would look terrible on almost anyone else, Rogers talks about her job as White House social secretary.

If there’s one thing Desirée Rogers and Desirée Rogers’ staff want you to know—and will keep reminding you until you get it—it’s that the president and Michelle Obama plan to open up the White House and once again make it the “people’s house.” They want to create an environment where average Americans might stop by and catch the first lady serving homemade huckleberry cobbler and caramel ice cream to students, tending to the vegetable garden on the South Lawn or watching the romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You” with her girlfriends. The president is, of course, meeting with foreign dignitaries. In one of the most visible roles in the Obama administration, Rogers is out to solidify the first family as one of the most memorable in presidential history, and the Ivy League–educated first lady, in particular, as the most popular mom-in-chief.

The first day I interview Rogers, I do not see the president or the first lady. What I do see is the First Lady’s Garden, green and manicured, sitting like a postcard outside Rogers’ large cheery windows. Mrs. Obama’s office is down the hall. Everywhere, pictures of the first lady hang on the walls: Here’s Mrs. O reading to schoolchildren, here she is shaking hands with voters. Mrs. O smiles widely in every picture with that my-husband-is-the-president glow that can only come when roughly 70 percent of the country approves of you.

With her direct access to the first couple and unparalleled connections to White House staff, as well as D.C. and Chicago power brokers, Rogers is considered by many to be the key to Brand Obama. She stands at the center of the careful marketing of the first family and an administration-wide effort to make the White House appear a hip and accessible abode. Mrs. Obama’s press team manages a media blitz that includes cover shots on People, Vogue and Oprah’s O magazine, among others, while Rogers controls the day-to-day development and execution of the brand. The former marketing executive must create a White House that helps Americans visualize Mr. Obama’s campaign promises of change and transparency. read all here....

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President Obama announces Dan Rooney for the next Ambassador of Ireland and other St. Patrick's Day Stuff (Video)

First, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney was announced by President O'Bama as the next Ambassador to Ireland.

President Barack Obama announced today that he intends to nominate Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.

Obama called Rooney "an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture and education" in announcing the nomination, according to the Associated Press.

Rooney co-founded the American Ireland Fund in 1976 and the organization, according to the White House, has raised more than $300 million for peace and education programs in Ireland.

"I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people," Obama said in a written statement. "Dan Rooney is an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture, and education, and I have every confidence that he and Secretary [of State Hillary] Clinton will ensure America's continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead."

President Barack Obama meets with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen in the Oval Office of the White House


President Barack Obama receives a bowl of shamrocks from Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen


President Barack Obama leaves the U.S. Capitol Building following lunch there with Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen


White House Fountain Bled GREEN

O'Bama on St. Pat's Day

Desiree Rogers, WH Social Secretary

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FLOTUS, Michelle Obama's Official Portrait

She looks DAMN GOOD!!! GO GIRL!!! Michelle and her BARE ARMS. An inspiration to all, especially us ladies, to WORK OUT!!! Fitness First!!!



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Obamas to host black tie dinner, their first, on Sunday

Well, we will now have some elegant action. No one can say the Bush years were boring, but as far as entertaining they were like two old people. They only had 8 State Dinners in 8 years, and Bush was known to run to Camp David practically every weekend.

Now, we have a young vibrant couple in the White House. Let the entertainment, begin!!

President Obama and First Lady Michelle will give the first glimpse of their entertaining style Sunday night when they host a black-tie White House dinner for the National Governors Association.

The East Wing, run by the First Lady has been working on the details of the dinner for several weeks.

It is the debut for White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, the Chicago executive and friend of both the President and First Lady.

"The White House is the place where our bond as Americans is strengthened," said Rogers in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming the nation's governors to celebrate our democratic ideals, our diversity, our shared values and the best of the American spirit."

The evening will feature performances by the Marine Corps band and Earth Wind and Fire, the jazz and rhythm and blues group from the 1970s with Chicago roots.

Source

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Desiree Rogers on being the White House Social Secretary (Audio)

From NPR:

At the White House Thursday, President Barack Obama held a signing ceremony for a new law aimed at halting age, race or gender discrimination in the workplace. The signing was followed by a reception hosted by the first lady.

Invited lawmakers and dignitaries munched on fruit and pastries. Somewhere in the background, a tall woman was making sure everything was just so in the state dining room — from the yellow orchids on the tables to the apricot coffee cake.

Her name is Desiree Rogers and she is the new White House social secretary, responsible for planning events from state dinners to the annual Easter egg roll.

Rogers comes to the White House armed with a Harvard MBA, a long resume in the corporate world and a keen knowledge of the first family's tastes as a longtime member of their Chicago inner circle.

"One of the things that is very important to the president and the first lady is that the art be reflective of all Americans," Rogers says. "And so one of the things that's already being looked at is the possibility of how can we diversify the art collection."

Listen to the whole interview, here.

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Desiree Rogers: What the Obama Social Secretary Will Do

Interesting article in the upcoming Vogue of the White House Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers. Rogers is a known quantity here in the Chicagoland area, a graduate of Wellesley College, MBA from Harvard Business School, formerly CEO of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, Director of the Illinois State Lottery, last position with Allstate Financial as Director of its newly found social networking initiative. Rogers was married to the former John W. Rogers, Jr., both are close friends to the Obamas.

I think one reason besides friendship to the Obamas that Rogers was given this coveted position is her known flair as a flawless entertainer.

Rogers's appointment, in late November, did not come as a surprise to anyone in the Obama inner circle, including Valerie Jarrett, one of her best friends and a senior adviser to the new president. Days before the announcement, Rogers had hosted a small birthday party for Jarrett in Chicago attended by Barack and Michelle Obama, who rejoiced in being able to spend some downtime with a few of their closest pals, including Rogers, after the campaign's long haul. "My party was perfect," Jarrett told The Washington Post later, adding that Rogers "has extraordinary flair and exquisite taste."

Rogers also understands the platform of what the Obamas want to do for the social scene in Washington, D.C. This is not only about dinners, parties but outreach to the D.C. community, one that the Obamas plan to become a part of.

The mandate the Obamas have given her, Rogers said, "is about instilling pride." Her job "is helping people visualize what the Obama presidency is about, the feelings Americans voted for—inclusion, transparency, embracing people you might never otherwise learn about—and also translating the splendor, that sweetness, that comfort of the White House to everyone." She paused and smiled. "Enormous task."

Indeed, in these troubled economic times, how exactly will the Obamas revitalize the White House? "Using the assets already there," Rogers said. "We have to be balanced. People think that being 'social' means hosting a lavish party, but that's not true. We all thrive on social interaction, and we must continue to," despite the economy.

Rogers job is to help Michelle make her job as First Lady, a bit easier. Many are wondering, curious about the new First Lady's vision and I think Rogers and Michelle get it. It is about moving forward, with your directive but remembering the past and working it in. Tall order.

"There is a history and tradition to these events," said Rogers—the Christmas-tree lighting, for example, and the Easter-egg hunt. "Yes, we are about change and about finding a new way, but 'new' doesn't mean that we walk away from history."

Read more, here.

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