Creating the new administration
David Axelrod, senior advisor to President-elect Obama (REUTERS/Jason Reed)
As President-elect Obama assembles his cabinet and White House team, University of Chicago trustees, alumni and faculty are playing an important role—as nominees and as counselors, advising him on the transition and the policies the administration will pursue in the challenging months and years to come.
News releases
Michelle Obama resigns Medical Center position
January 9, 2009—Concluding her leave, Obama has resigned her leadership post at the University of Chicago Medical Center as she prepares to take on her new role at the White House as First Lady.
Valerie Jarrett to leave University for White House posts
January 9, 2009—Jarrett, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago and Chair of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago Medical Center, has resigned both positions as she assumes her new role as Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison.
Susan Sher, Medical Center VP, named associate counsel to President Obama
January 9, 2009—Sher, the Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel of the University of Chicago Medical Center, will be leaving her position to join the Obama administration as associate counsel to the President, working with health care issues and advising the First Lady.
Austan Goolsbee appointed to two key economic positions in Obama administration
Nov. 26, 2008—Goolsbee will serve as Staff Director and Chief Economist of the president’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board and as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has been a key economic adviser to Obama since 2004.
Valerie Jarrett, Vice-Chairman of Trustees, named to top White House post
Nov. 21, 2008—Jarrett, who is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Chicago Medical Center, will be Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison. She will serve as a key adviser to the President, help coordinate the work of different government branches and agencies, and act as a liaison with public-interest groups.
Axelrod appointed Senior Advisor to President-elect Obama
Nov. 20, 2008—A College alumnus and veteran of many local and national political campaigns, David Axelrod will segue from his work as Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist to a top White House post.
Valerie Jarrett, University of Chicago Trustee, named a Co-Chair of the Obama-Biden Transition Project
Nov. 6, 2008—Jarrett, a longtime advisor to the President-elect, is one of three chosen to help create the new administration.
Chicago in the news
- Time, Dec. 19, 2008:
“Education secretary: Arne Duncan” - Chicago Public Radio, Dec. 16, 2008:
“Roundtable Reaction to the Duncan Nomination” - New York Times, Dec. 13, 2008:
“Obama’s Friends Form Strategy to Stay Close” - Chicago Tribune, Nov. 27, 2008:
“U. of C.’s Goolsbee joins advisory board” - Chicago Tribune, Nov. 21, 2008:
“Plugged into city’s power: Jarrett has held huge number of leadership roles” - Los Angeles Times, Nov. 17, 2008:
“Who would Obama pick for the Supreme Court?”
