View source for White House Office of Public Engagement

{{Short description|Unit of the U.S. White House Office}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = White House Office of Public Engagement
| seal            = US-WhiteHouse-Logo.svg
| formed          = {{start date and age|1974}}
| chief1_name     = [[Stephen K. Benjamin|Steve Benjamin]]
| chief1_position = Director
| parent_department = [[White House Office]]
| headquarters    = [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building]]<br>[[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| coordinates     = {{coord|38|53|51.24|N|77|2|20.93|W|display=inline,title}}
}}
The '''White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE)''' is a unit of the [[White House Office]] within the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]]. Under the administration of President [[Barack Obama]], it combined oversight of OPE and the [[White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs|Office of Intergovernmental Affairs]] (IGA) under the '''Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs (OPE-IGA)'''. President [[Donald Trump]] restored the prior name of the '''Office of Public Liaison (OPL)''' and re-separated IGA. President [[Joe Biden]] changed the name back to OPE but kept IGA separate in his administration.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945578741/incoming-white-house-public-engagement-director-on-his-plans-for-the-job |title= Incoming White House Public Engagement Director On His Plans For The Job |work= All Things Considered |publisher= NPR |date= December 11, 2020 |access-date= December 12, 2020 |archive-date= January 25, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210125184954/https://www.npr.org/2020/12/11/945578741/incoming-white-house-public-engagement-director-on-his-plans-for-the-job |url-status= dead }}</ref>

The current director of public engagement is former mayor of [[Columbia, South Carolina]], [[Stephen K. Benjamin]], who assumed office in April 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Mia |date=February 27, 2023 |title=Former South Carolina mayor replaces Bottoms at White House Office of Public Engagement |work=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/27/south-carolina-mayor-white-house-public-engagement-00084546 |access-date=February 27, 2023}}</ref>

==History==
The Office of Public Liaison has been responsible for communicating and interacting with various interest groups. Under President [[Richard Nixon]], [[Charles Colson]] performed public liaison work. President [[Gerald Ford]] first formalized the public liaison office after he took office in 1974, giving Nixon administration veteran [[William J. Baroody Jr.]] a mandate for OPL to become "an instrument for projecting the image of a truly open administration (in contrast to Nixon's) and to secure Ford's election in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]. Under Baroody's direction, the office incorporated outreach efforts with consumers and women that had been located elsewhere in the White House, and the overall staff grew to approximately thirty. At the core of its activities was an aggressive campaign of regional conferences that enabled the nation's first un-elected president to tour the country in a campaign-like atmosphere and prepare the way for an eventual reelection campaign."<ref name="trans4">{{cite web |title=The White House Transition Project |date=March 2009 |url=http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170354/http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |publisher=White House Transition Project |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |page=4}}</ref>

Some OPL heads used the office to push their own agendas. [[Midge Costanza]] used her time at OPL to broaden the influence of gays and lesbians in White House policy.<ref name="trans4" /> [[Faith Ryan Whittlesey]] used her time at OPL to increase the influence of the [[Christian right]]<ref name="Martin">Martin, William (1996). ''With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America''. New York: Broadway. p. 235. {{ISBN|0-7679-2257-3}}.</ref> and [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]] groups, such as the [[Contras]] in [[Nicaragua]].<ref>Sklar, Holly (1995). ''Washington's War on Nicaragua''. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. p. 244. {{ISBN|0-89608-295-4}}.</ref>

Future cabinet secretary and U.S. senator [[Elizabeth Dole]] headed OPL under President [[Ronald Reagan]] from 1981 to 1983. Directors during [[Bill Clinton]]'s administration included future cabinet secretary [[Alexis Herman]], [[Maria Echaveste]], [[Minyon Moore]], and future [[John Kerry]] campaign manager [[Mary Beth Cahill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |title=The White House Transition Project |date=March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170354/http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |publisher=White House Transition Project |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |page=21}}</ref>

In May 2009, Obama continued this theme and renamed the Office of Public Liaison the Office of Public ''Engagement''.<ref name=whostaff9>{{cite press release |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary |date=May 11, 2009 |title=President Obama Launches Office of Public Engagement: A New Name, Mission for White House Liaison Office |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Launches-Office-of-Public-Engagement/ |access-date=May 11, 2009 }}</ref> Under the Obama administration, the Office of Public Engagement had been referred to as "the front door to the White House, through which everyone can participate and inform the work of the President."

In April 2009, actor [[Kal Penn]] was named an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/actor-comedian-associate-director-of-public-liaison/7302/ |title=Actor, Comedian, Associate Director of Public Liaison |first=Marc |last=Ambinder |date=April 9, 2009 |work=The Atlantic }}</ref> His role was said to include outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and the arts community.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/07/actor-kal-penn-joining-the-obama-administration/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409003258/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/07/actor-kal-penn-joining-the-obama-administration/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 9, 2009 |publisher=CNN |title=Actor Kal Penn joining the Obama administration |date=April 7, 2009 }}</ref> Prior to the appointment, he was a permanent cast member in the television series ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', and his acceptance required him to be written out of the series.<ref>{{cite news |last=Daunt |first=Tina | date=April 10, 2009 |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-cause10-2009apr10,0,1161271.story | work=Los Angeles Times | title=Kal Penn tackles a new role: White House liaison}}</ref>

President [[Donald Trump]] initially announced his intention to appoint [[Anthony Scaramucci]] to oversee the Office of Public Liaison in his administration, pending a review of Scaramucci's finances by the [[Office of Government Ethics]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/01/31/story-behind-scaramucci-s-delayed-appointment-amid-trump-white-house-bickering.html |publisher=[[Fox Business]] |title=The Story Behind Scaramucci's Delayed Appointment Amid Trump White House Bickering |first1=Charles |last1=Gasparino |first2=Brian |last2=Schwartz |date=January 31, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2017 }}</ref> However, [[George Sifakis]] was appointed instead in March 2017.<ref name="Sifakis">{{cite web |title=President Donald J. Trump Announces White House Staff Appointments |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/06/president-donald-j-trump-announces-white-house-staff-appointments }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kamisar|first1=Ben|title=Scaramucci lands White House job|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/314080-scaramucci-lands-white-house-job/|newspaper=The Hill|access-date=August 2, 2017|date=January 12, 2017}}</ref>

[[Joe Biden]] announced on November 17, 2020, that the office will be known as the '''Office of Public Engagement''' in his incoming [[Biden administration|administration]], and was first headed by [[Cedric Richmond]] until his resignation in May 2022, when he was replaced by Adrian Saenz in an acting capacity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biden Taps Several Senior Campaign Aides For Key White House Positions|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2020/11/17/935532199/biden-taps-several-senior-campaign-aides-for-key-white-house-positions|access-date=2020-11-17|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref>

==List of directors==
The following have held the office of Director of Public Liaison at the White House:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!class=unsortable |Image
!Name
!Start
!End
!colspan=2 |President
|-
|[[File:Nixon Contact Sheet WHPO-7711 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Chuck|Colson|Charles Colson}}
|{{dts|July 9, 1970}}
|{{dts|March 10, 1973}}
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|Richard|Nixon}}
|-
|rowspan=2 style="padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;" |[[File:William J. Baroody Jr. (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|rowspan=2 style="padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;" |{{sortname|William|Baroody|William J. Baroody Jr.}}
|rowspan=2 style="padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;" |{{dts|March 10, 1973}}
|rowspan=2 style="padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;" |{{dts|January 20, 1977}}
|-
|style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Gerald|Ford}}
|-
|[[File:Margaret Constanza - NARA - 173904.tif|70px]]
|{{sortname|Midge|Costanza}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1977}}
|{{dts|September 1, 1978}}
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|Jimmy|Carter}}
|-
|[[File:Anne Wexler (cropped).tif|70px]]
|{{sortname|Anne|Wexler}}
|{{dts|September 1, 1978}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1981}}
|-
|[[File:Elizabeth Dole official photo.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Elizabeth|Dole}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1981}}
|{{dts|February 7, 1983}}
|rowspan=5 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=5 |{{sortname|Ronald|Reagan}}
|-
|[[File:Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped6).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Faith|Whittlesey}}
|{{dts|March 3, 1983}}
|{{dts|March 19, 1985}}
|-
|[[File:Reagan Contact Sheet C28746 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Linda|Chavez}}
|{{dts|April 8, 1985}}
|{{dts|February 4, 1986}}
|-
|[[File:Mari Maseng 1988.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Mari|Maseng|Mari Maseng Will}}
|{{dts|May 12, 1986}}
|{{dts|July 1987}}
|-
|[[File:Rebecca Range 1987.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Rebecca|Range|Rebecca Gernhardt Cox}}
|{{dts|September 2, 1987}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1989}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Bobbie|Kilberg}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1989}}
|{{dts|April 6, 1992}}
|rowspan=2 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=2 |{{sortname|George H. W.|Bush}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Cecile|Kremer|Cecile B. Kremer}}
|{{dts|April 6, 1992}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1993}}
|-
|[[File:Alexis osec.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Alexis|Herman}}
|{{dts|January 20, 1993}}
|{{dts|February 7, 1997}}
|rowspan=4 style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=4 |{{sortname|Bill|Clinton}}
|-
|[[File:Maria Echaveste (cropped).png|70px]]
|{{sortname|Maria|Echaveste}}
|{{dts|February 7, 1997}}
|{{dts|June 29, 1998}}
|-
|[[File:Minyon Moore 1251972.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Minyon|Moore}}
|{{dts|June 29, 1998}}
|{{dts|February 5, 1999}}
|-
|[[File:Mary Beth Cahill (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Mary Beth|Cahill}}
|{{dts|February 5, 1999}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2001}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Lezlee|Westine}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2001}}
|{{dts|May 25, 2005}}
|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=3 |{{sortname|George W.|Bush}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Rhonda|Keenum}}
|{{dts|May 25, 2005}}
|{{dts|March 20, 2007}}
|-
|[[File:Julie E. Cram (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Julie|Cram|Julie E. Cram}}
|{{dts|March 20, 2007}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2009}}
|-
|[[File:Christina Tchen in the Oval Office.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Tina|Tchen}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2009}}
|{{dts|January 5, 2011}}
|rowspan=3 style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=3 |{{sortname|Barack|Obama}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Jon|Carson|dab=government official}}
|{{dts|January 5, 2011}}
|{{dts|March 14, 2013}}
|-
|[[File:No image.svg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Paulette|Aniskoff}}
|{{dts|March 14, 2013}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2017}}
|-
|[[File:George A. Sifakis (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|George|Sifakis}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2017}}<br>{{small|Acting: January 20, 2017 – March 6, 2017}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sink |first1=Justin |last2=Cirilli |first2=Kevin |title=Trump Names Sifakis as Public Liaison, Passing Over Scaramucci |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-07/trump-names-sifakis-as-public-liaison-passing-over-scaramucci |work=Bloomberg |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=September 3, 2017}}</ref>
|{{dts|September 25, 2017}}<ref name="sifakisleaving">{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/347115-public-liaison-director-leaving-white-house/|title=Public Liaison director leaving White House |last=Delk |first=Josh |date=August 18, 2017 |work=The Hill |access-date=August 21, 2017 |archive-date=September 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901162320/http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/347115-public-liaison-director-leaving-white-house |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/15/kelly-trump-administration-jobs-243768 |title=Kelly tries to get empty administration jobs filled fast |date=October 15, 2017 |access-date=October 15, 2017 |publisher=Politico |first=Nancy |last=Cook |archive-date=March 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180331015019/https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/15/kelly-trump-administration-jobs-243768 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|rowspan=5 style="background: {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=5 |{{sortname|Donald|Trump}}
|-
|[[File:Johnny DeStefano official photo (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Johnny|DeStefano}}
|{{dts|September 25, 2017}}<br>{{small|Acting: September 25, 2017 – February 9, 2018}}
|{{dts|March 18, 2018}}
|-
|[[File:Justin Clark official photo (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Justin|Clark|Justin R. Clark}}
|{{dts|March 18, 2018}}
|{{dts|December 7, 2018}}
|-
|[[File:Steve Munisteri by Gage Skidmore.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Steve|Munisteri}}<br>{{small|Acting}}
|{{dts|December 7, 2018}}
|{{dts|February 2, 2019}}
|-
|[[File:Tim Pataki.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Tim|Pataki|Timothy Pataki}}
|{{dts|February 2, 2019}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2021}}
|-
|[[File:Cedric Richmond official photo (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Cedric|Richmond}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2021}}
|{{dts|May 18, 2022}}
|rowspan=4 style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|rowspan=4 |[[Joe Biden]]
|-
|[[File:Adrian Saenz.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Adrian|Saenz}}<br>{{small|Acting}}
|{{dts|May 18, 2022}}
|{{dts|June 30, 2022}}
|-
|[[File:Keisha Lance Bottoms in 2019.jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Keisha|Lance Bottoms}}
|{{dts|July 1, 2022}}
|{{dts|April 1, 2023}}
|-
|[[File:Benjamin021 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|{{sortname|Steve|Benjamin|Stephen K. Benjamin}}
|{{dts|April 1, 2023}}
|present
|}

===Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs===
During the Obama administration, there was a director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the public engagement director and [[White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs|intergovernmental affairs director]].

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!class=unsortable |Image
!Name
!Start
!End
!colspan=2 |President
|-
|{{center|[[File:Valerie Jarrett official portrait small.jpg|50px]]}}
|{{sortname|Valerie|Jarrett}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2009}}
|{{dts|January 20, 2017}}
|style="background: {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};" |
|{{sortname|Barack|Obama}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/ope/ White House Office of Public Engagement]
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/iga/ White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs]
* [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/engage/office Official website] from the [[presidency of Barack Obama]]

{{WHOPL|state=collapsed}}
{{White House Office|state=collapsed}}
{{EOP agencies}}

[[Category:Executive Office of the President of the United States]]
[[Category:White House Office|Public Liaison]]
[[Category:Presidency of the United States]]
[[Category:1974 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1974]]