JESSE LEE is a social media guru and the first-ever White House director of progressive media and online response. Lee was previously new media advisor to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. What is your advice to young people in your profession? “Don’t be shy. If you have good ideas, speak up. Be humble about it and respect that people senior to you are most likely senior to you for a reason, because they’re smart and they’ve been around.”
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
MONIQUE DORSAINVIL strategizes high-stakes engagement for the president and first lady as director of planning and events for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. An Emory University graduate, Dorsainvil began working at the White House as an intern. What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment? “Helping to ensure access and bring people into the fold who traditionally have not been engaged by or provided opportunities to work with or visit the White House. Having the chance to work behind the scenes on historical milestones like the president’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington has also been especially significant to me.”
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BRAD JENKINS
ANDREA PURSE
is associate director of the White House’s Office of Public Engagement, where he directs engagement with advocacy organizations, the entertainment industry and content creators. He’s led the effort to spread the word about the Affordable Care Act by collaborating with the likes of Katy Perry and Pharrell.
is White House director of broadcast media and manages all of President Obama’s television appearances, as well as those of senior administration officials.
Whom do you admire professionally and why? “Valerie Jarrett. I have worked in the private sector for most of my life, so I have had the privilege of seeing the best of public servants as well as CEOs and small business owners. Ms. Jarrett has it all. She has the vision and execution of a start-up entrepreneur and the heart and passion of a community leader and policymaker.”
What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment? “I have really enjoyed working on television and radio around the Affordable Care Act — we have been really targeted in our outreach and so we can see the impact when people hear more about what’s available to them. It’s such a critical issue and one I care a lot about personally, so knowing that people will be covered for the first time is exciting!”
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