The White House announced today that Tina Tchen has been promoted to Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady: Tina Tchen to Join Office of the First Lady as Chief of Staff. Ms. Tchen most recently served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement, and as Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.
Here's the statement from Mrs. Obama:
"I am thrilled to welcome Tina to my team. I have admired her work with the White House Council on Women and Girls and her leadership with the Office of Public Engagement. Tina's tenure at the White House has focused on ensuring that communities across the country have a voice and a presence at the White House, and her office has worked closely with mine to develop many of our outreach efforts, so she was the natural choice for this role. We particularly share a commitment to nurturing young women and utilizing the White House as a platform for education and inclusion, and I look forward to continuing that work together.In her new job with the First Lady and her team, Tchen says she will continue the work "to eliminate childhood obesity through the Let's Move! Campaign, to support our military families, and to make the White House a place that reflects the rich culture and diversity of our country."
"As sad as I am to see Susan go, I always knew she would return to her family and her community in Chicago. She arrived here in January of 2009 intending only to stay for a year and her extended tenure as my Chief of Staff has been a gift. She has led my team with an even hand and a clear vision and I am so grateful to her and her family for her time here in Washington.
"When selecting a replacement, I looked for someone who had the right experience to lead my team and am grateful to bring on Tina, whom I've known and respected for 20 years. Tina's success leading the Office of Public Engagement, reaching out to people across the country and encouraging Americans from all walks of life to feel connected to this White House, makes her uniquely qualified to step up to this position. I look forward to working with her in the years ahead to develop effective strategies for the Let's Move! campaign, to broaden our work on behalf of military families, to continue the arts and cultural events in the White House, and to advance our international agenda."
Tchen will also continue to serve as the Executive Director of the White House Council of Women and Girls. Here's the statement she posted today on the Office of Public Engagement's White House Blog: Joining the Office of the First Lady.