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White House Fellows

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White House Fellows
Agency overview
FormedOctober 3, 1964; 60 years ago (1964-10-03)
Headquarters712 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Agency executive
Parent agencyWhite House Office
Websitewww.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/
Staff of the U.S. president

The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan fellowship established via Executive Order 11183 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of USA's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, offering exceptional US Citizens first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. The fellowship was founded based upon a suggestion from John W. Gardner, then the president of Carnegie Corporation and later the sixth secretary of health, education, and welfare.

The 2018-2019 White House Fellows with President Donald Trump outside of the White House.

White House Fellows spend a year working as a full-time, paid special assistant or advisor to senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries, the Vice President, or the head of an independent Executive Branch agency. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors. These roundtables are augmented through observation of policy in action, including domestic and international engagements with foreign dignitaries, industry executives, elected officials, and civil servants.

The 2005-2006 White House Fellows, including Eric Greitens, with President George W. Bush.
The 1990-1991 White House Fellows, including Sam Brownback, in the Oval Office with President George H.W. Bush.

The selection process to become a White House Fellow is very competitive, with fellowships awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis. Each year after the application period closes, the staff of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships (PCWHF) processes the applications and former fellows screen the applications to identify approximately one hundred of the most promising candidates. These selected individuals are then interviewed by several regional panels, which are composed of prominent local citizens. Based on the results of these interviews, the regional panelists and the director of the PCWHF select approximately thirty candidates to proceed as national finalists. The PCWHF will then interview these finalists, recommending between 11 and 19 of them to the president for a one-year appointment through the White House Office. The program can receive more than 2,000 applicants per year, with a selection rate often of 1% or less. Selected civilians serve as Schedule A presidential appointees, while military members will be assigned to duty at the PCWHF at 712 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C.

The 1983-1984 White House Fellows, including Elaine Chao, outside of the White House.
The 1972-1973 White House Fellows, including Colin Powell, outside of the White House.

Once fellows complete their year of service, they join hundreds of other fellows as alumni of the program. The White House Fellows Foundation and Association is the organization that represents the White House Fellows alumni efforts, leadership events and fundraising activities.

Demographics

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When the White House Fellows program was established in 1964, the program required that all fellows meet the following criteria:

  • Have demonstrated unusual ability, high moral character, outstanding motivation, and a broad capacity for leadership.
  • Show exceptional promise of future development.
  • Are dedicated to the institutions of the United States and the values of American civilization.
  • Will have attained the age of twenty-three but not the age of thirty-six prior to the beginning of their service.
  • Shall be selected by the President without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, or political affiliation.
  • Citizens of the United States.

These initial criteria have been slightly modified over the years. In 1976, criteria were modified to disqualify regular federal employees and reaffirm that military personnel remained eligible. This same Executive Order decreased the term of the fellowship from 15 months to 12 (though EO 12653 again revised the duration to be extended at the Commission's discretion back up to 15 months).

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter revised the criteria again under Executive Order 12012. In this case, the explicit age requirement was removed. Instead, an emphasis was added such that fellows must be, "...early in their chosen careers..."

President Lyndon B. Johnson, who created the Fellowship program in 1964, visits with three White House Fellows in the Oval Office.
White House Fellows receive an address at the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute, U.S.S.R. (1970s).
White House Fellows visit a teaching hospital in the People's Republic of China (1970s).

Since the inception of the program, White House Fellows have come from a variety of backgrounds.

  • The ten universities most frequently attended by White House Fellows are, in order: Harvard, Stanford, West Point, Oxford, MIT, Columbia, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, Berkeley, and Yale.
  • The average age of a Fellow is mid-30s.
  • A total of 251 women have been selected as White House Fellows since the program’s creation in 1964. They represent 28% of the 879 people who have served as White House Fellows. The percentage of women has increased over time, as shown by the statistics below:
    • 1960s: 7 of 86 – 8% women
    • 1970s: 36 of 158 – 23% women
    • 1980s: 33 of 135 – 24% women
    • 1990s: 52 of 159 – 33% women
    • 2000s: 38 of 131 – 29% women
    • 2010s: 54 of 145 – 37% women
    • 2020s: 31 of 63 – 49% women
  • A broad range of career backgrounds are represented. Fellows' professions include physicians, lawyers, teachers, military officers, scientists, non-profit leaders, engineers, CEOs, entrepreneurs, academics, and many more.

Undergraduate education

Graduate education

  • Earned a graduate degree of any kind: 96%
  • Earned a graduate degree from an Ivy League university: 41%

Notable alumni

U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) served as a White House Fellow from 2016-2017.
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (AK) served as a White House Fellow from 2002-2003.
U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (TN) served as a White House Fellow from 1991-1992.

The President's Commission on White House Fellowships

White House Fellows building at 712 Jackson Place in Washington, D.C.

The Presidents Commission on White House Fellowships (PCWHF) consists of the program office (the Director, staff, and White House Fellows) and the Commission (the commissioners and their Chairperson). The White House Fellows program is a subunit of the White House Office and is located on the 18 acres of the White House grounds. The Director of the PCWHF is appointed by the President, serves as the Designated Federal Officer for the Commission, and is supported by a team of staff members. The Director is responsible for administering all aspects of the program. The Commission meets twice a year and reports to the President of the United States through the Executive Office of the President. The Commission's responsibility is to recommend candidates to the President for selection as White House Fellows. The commissioners help recruit a diverse group of applicants, screen the applicants, and makes recommendations to the President.

Chairs of the commission overseeing the White House Fellows Program include

  • 2021-Present: Demetra Lambros
  • 2017-21: Robert M. “Mike” Duncan
  • 2014-16: Mary Zients
  • 2009-14: John R. Phillips
  • 2006-09: Myrna Blyth
  • 2003-06: Julie Nixon Eisenhower
  • 2001-03: Bradford Freeman
  • 1994-2001: Marjorie Benton
  • 1993-94: Nancy Bekavac
  • 1990-93: Ronna Romney
  • 1981-89: James B. Stockdale
  • 1977-81: John W. Gardner
  • 1975-77: Miles W. Kirkpatrick
  • 1972-75: Francis L. Dale
  • 1971-72: Charles B. Thornton
  • 1969-71: Arthur S. Flemming
  • 1968-69: William H. Hastie
  • 1966-68: C. Douglas Dillon
  • 1964-66: David Rockefeller

Commissioners overseeing the White House Fellows Program include:

Former commissioners overseeing the White House Fellows Program include:

Directors of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships

  • Rose Vela
  • Elizabeth Pinkerton
  • Jennifer Kaplan
  • Cindy Moelis
  • Janet Eissenstat
  • Jocelyn White
  • Jacqueline Blumenthal
  • James C. Roberts
  • Bruce H. Hasenkamp

The White House Fellows Foundation & Association

The White House Fellows Foundation & Association (WHFFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to “supporting the White House Fellows educational program financially, to broaden the foundation members’ understanding of government and the problems confronting government, and to encourage members’ contribution to public service and the education of the public.” Activities funded by the WHFFA support alumni and current cohort members. This includes supporting a portion of seminar costs for the White House Fellows' educational program, an annual meeting of alumni, and recruiting applicants for the White House Fellows program.

The WHFFA is governed by a board of directors who are voted on by dues paying members. The board has the authority to hire an executive director to conduct affairs on behalf of the WHFFA. Only White House Fellows alumni are eligible to join the WHFFA. The WHFFA revenue is derived from member dues, investment income, and donations.

Programs inspired by the White House Fellows

Due to the successes and longevity of the White House Fellows program, latter administrations have introduced other distinct fellowships with similar names. Though the White House Fellows program is the only dedicated to service at the highest levels of government and the only administered from within the White House, these more recent programs have succeeded in serving their unique objectives over the years.

Presidential Management Fellows

The Presidential Management Fellows program exists to recruit recent college graduates and graduate students in order to develop a core of future government leaders. Those selected are hired at federal pay grades starting at GS-9 and serve for a period of two years. Presidential Management Fellows are administered via the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. More than 500 Presidential Management Fellows may be selected annually, with a selection rate of approximately 10%. The Presidential Management Fellows Program was initially established as the Presidential Management Intern Program in 1977.

Presidential Innovation Fellows

The Presidential Innovation Fellows Program seeks to embed industry’s top technologists and innovators within federal agencies for a period of one year. The program typically recruits 20-35 fellows for each new cohort and charges them with helping to solve the nation’s toughest challenges and emerging issues. The program was initiated by President Barack Obama in 2012 and later codified via the TALENT Act in 2017. It is administered by the General Services Administration.

White House Leadership Development Program Fellows

The White House Leadership Development Program is designed to provide senior level federal employees (GS-15 and equivalent) with exposure to cross-agency priority challenges. It was established by President Barack Obama on December 9, 2014. The program is sponsored by the Executive Office of the President and is administered by the General Services Administration.

References

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