Julianna Smoot A Reversal From Desiree Rogers
In Julianna Smoot, the incoming White House social secretary, the Obama administration is getting everything that Desiree Rogers wasn't.
Smoot, 42, is an old Washington hand, a professional rainmaker with ties to moneyed Democrats, who helped engineer candidate Obama’s near-billion-dollar fundraising juggernaut.
Rogers, the first African-American social secretary, is a Chicago executive and a member of the Obama inner circle, who approached her post as a marketing executive, often overlooking the beltway elite as she sought to make the White House "the people's house."
Rogers seemed never to leave Chicago, bringing her star-power, urbane and modern sensibility with her to stodgy DC, while Smoot is consummate Washington, a political powerhouse accustomed to operating as an under-the-radar staffer.
"She has political sensibilities and that's what Desiree was missing," says one source who is familiar with the inner workings of the East Wing and Smoot’s background. "She's not a diva. She was a top fundraiser but she knows her place in the world."
Observers say it is rare to have a campaign fundraiser as social secretary, a position that is usually filled by someone well-known to the president and the first lady and who is experienced at planning large events according to protocol.
The circle of people who fit the bill is a small one. And Smoot adds to the normal set of skills a long resume as a money wrangler.
Some observers say that background raises the specter of the White House as an exclusive club, with Smoot as the gatekeeper, and speculated that the White House didn't reward her with such a job initially for that very reason.
"It probably would have raised some eyebrows," said one longtime Democratic aide.
In Obama’s statement Saturday announcing Smoot, who has worked as finance director for four Senators, as the new social secretary, he noted that she has “worked in and out of Washington” and “shares our commitment to creating an inclusive, dynamic and culturally vibrant White House.”
Asked about her background, a White House official said that appointing a fundraising staffer to the post isn't "outside the norm," since one of President George W. Bush's social secretaries, Lea Berman, had been such a staffer, though not one of Smoot's centrality.
Smoot, a North Carolina native, was one of the first five people hired by the Obama campaign and "played a significant role" in targeting not just large donations but smaller ones too, says one Democrat who worked with Smoot on the stump and known her for years.
One Democrat points out that Smoot "took the traditional fundraising model and turned it on its head."
"She made the smaller donor the focus of the campaign and I'm sure she'll bring the same attitude to the White House," the source said. "She's been there from the beginning, she knows the staff, knows the family and has great connections in the Senate and around town."
Campaign insiders, however, say Smoot focused largely on cultivating wealthy, traditional donors behind the scenes, while a different campaign team focused on low-dollar, high-profile email fundraising.
Democratic strategist Phil Singer, who worked with Smoot at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, says she has a "keen eye for details and being organized"—key qualities in a great social secretary.
"She was always very good at keeping Senators disciplined and focused on the task at hand. She's a total pro that can be counted on to get the job done,” he said. "She's the kind of person who will make an organized political operation run even smoother."
Others who know Smoot, currently chief of staff to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, say that her "Washington insider" status makes her a perfect fit for the job of social secretary, a position that requires diplomacy, a sense of style, an eye for detail and an ear for all things Washington—her job as fundraiser required taking care VIPs, planning events and being an excellent extension of her principle.
A Democrat who has worked with Smoot said her role as an insider will help an East Wing viewed by some as “too Chicago,” since she knows all the top players around town, unlike Rogers, who will reportedly return to the corporate world.
When Smoot takes over next month, she will in some ways be stepping into Rogers’ shadow—the outgoing social secretary raised the profile of the job to a level not seen since the Kennedy era.
Anita McBride, former Chief of Staff to Laura Bush, said that Smoot “joins a long line of successful and talented women who have served as staff in the White House in a key and influential role that supports the goals of every President and First Lady.”
"It's a good recipe for success to choose someone who not only understands events, and protocol, but knows how to work the Washington scene, has a relationship with and the confidence of the president and first lady and knows their friends and supporters," McBride said.
Julianna Smoot's Profile:
Julianna Smoot joined the Office of the United States Trade Representative in February 2009 as the Chief of Staff.
Prior to joining the USTR, Ms. Smoot served as Senior Advisor to President Obama and served as Co-Chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. In January 2007, Ms. Smoot joined President Obama's Presidential Campaign as the National Finance Director. Prior to working for President Obama, Ms. Smoot served as National Finance Director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, chaired by Senator Charles Schumer.
Previously, Ms. Smoot served as Senior Advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and as Finance Director for Senator John Edwards' race for U.S. Senate. Ms. Smoot has also held positions with Senator Richard Durbin and Senator Chris Dodd.
Julianna Smoot, a North Carolina native, received her Bachelor's Degree in Government from Smith College in Northampton , MA.
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Sources: Politico, Washington Post, U.S. Trade Dept, Google Maps
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