Pride at the White House

A Surprise Invitation from the White House

Every year since taking office, President Obama has invited members and allies of the LGBT community to celebrate Pride Month at the White House. Tomorrow, the President will host this event for the fifth time, to bring together national leaders, elected officials, faith leaders, members of the military and veterans community, and local advocates and organizers to reflect upon the progress we’ve made and recommit to the work that lies ahead.

This year, the White House invited nine Americans from across the country to attend the White House LGBT Pride Month Reception on Thursday, June 13.  All of them are members or allies of the LGBT community who wrote letters to the President to express their thanks and to share their hopes, ambitions, and concerns for the future.

Check out a video of White House staff inviting the letter writers to the White House Pride reception, and then watch the President’s remarks live at the reception on Thursday, June 13, starting around 5:00 PM EDT.

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Valerie Jarrett

June 12, 2013
09:15 AM EDT

In addition, her research on divorce helped to correct the misperception that divorce rates were steadily rising across America. Instead, she found that divorce rates among the college-educated were declining, and that this group was also delaying marriage and children.

Her research also demonstrated the role policy plays in divorce, including finding a link between divorce laws and domestic violence. In states where divorce can be initiated by just one person and does not require fault, domestic violence was lower, which may occur if women can more easily obtain a divorce. Suicide rates were also found to be lower in these states. Her research was cited by advocates in a recent successful effort to change New York’s divorce laws.

Furthermore, we cited her research when she found that girls’ participation in sports led to increased college attendance and higher wages, as a result of Title IX, which bans sex discrimination against girls and boys in all programs at schools around the country.

Dr. Stevenson wrote of her findings, “Greater opportunities to play sports lead to greater female participation in previously male-dominated occupations, particularly high-skill occupations.” She concluded that, “the experiment designed by Title IX proves that extracurricular activities like sports play an important role in creating the skills that make us so productive.”

She and her partner, Justin Wolfers, have written several papers together on marriage, divorce, and well-being, and also co-author a column for Bloomberg View. They also have two children.

Currently, Dr. Stevenson is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, a position she has held since 2012.  She has held professorships at Princeton and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and also worked for the Federal Reserve, among other positions. Dr. Stevenson received a B.A. from Wellesley College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Dr. Stevenson said in a 2011 article in Wharton Magazine, “The point of doing research is to inform the public and to shape public policy. Having economists go between doing in-depth, focused academic research and trying to implement and communicate that research in Washington helps ensure that our research is relevant to the policy debate.”

As a member of the CEA at the White House, Dr. Stevenson will be able to continue to operate at the center of economics and policy, for the betterment of our country. We are thrilled to have her come on board.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Stephanie Sanders Sullivan – Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State

 
• Joseph Y. Yun – Ambassador to Malaysia, Department of State

The President also announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

• Avril D. Haines – Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

 
• Michael J. Morell – Member, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board

President Obama said, “I am proud that such experienced and committed individuals have agreed to serve the American people in these important roles. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo, Department of State
Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is Chief of Staff for the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.  Previously, from 2010 to 2011, she was Managing Director of Management Policy, Rightsizing and Innovation in the Office of Management Policy.  From 2008 to 2010, she was Director of the Department of State Executive Secretariat Operations Center, where she served as Deputy Director from 2003 to 2005.  Ms. Sullivan’s additional assignments in Washington have included: Senior Watch Officer in the Executive Secretariat Operations Center from 2002 to 2003, Post Management Officer in the Executive Office of the Bureau of African Affairs from 2001 to 2002, and Desk Officer for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso in the Bureau of African Affairs from 1991 to 1993.  Since joining the Foreign Service, Ms. Sullivan has served overseas in Ghana and Cameroon.  Ms. Sullivan served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1980 to 1983 and later worked as Chief of Operations for the Africa Region at the Peace Corps from 1994 to 1996.  She received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.S. from the National War College.

Joseph Y. Yun, Nominee for Ambassador to Malaysia, Department of State
Joseph Y. Yun, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.  Prior to this, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2010 to 2011.  From 2009 to 2010, he was Director of the Office of Maritime Southeast Asia.  Since joining the Foreign Service in 1985, Mr. Yun has served overseas in Korea, Thailand, France, Indonesia and Hong Kong.  Before joining the Foreign Service, he was an economist for Data Resources, Inc. in Massachusetts.  Mr. Yun received a B.S. from the Cardiff University and an M.S. and M.Phil from the London School of Economics.

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Avril D. Haines, Appointee for Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Avril D. Haines is Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs at the White House.  Prior to joining the White House Counsel’s office in 2010, she was Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs at the Department of State.  She previously worked in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the Department of State from 2003 to 2006, first in the Office of Treaty Affairs and then in the Office of Political Military Affairs.  From 2007 to 2008, she worked on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as Deputy Chief Counsel for the Majority.  Ms. Haines clerked for Judge Danny Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2002 to 2003.  From 2001 to 2002, she was a Legal Officer at The Hague Conference on Private International Law.  She received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Michael J. Morell, Appointee for Member, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board
Michael J. Morell is Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  Prior to this, he led the CIA’s Directorate of Intelligence.  From 2006 to 2008, he was Associate Deputy Director of the CIA, before which he served briefly as a Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center.  Mr. Morell began his career with the CIA in 1980 as an analyst covering international energy issues.  He later worked on East Asia issues for 14 years, until he became Director of the Office of Asian Pacific and Latin American Analysis in 1999.  Mr. Morell’s additional roles in the CIA include intelligence briefer to the President in 2001 and Executive Assistant to the Director of the CIA from 1998 to 1999.  He received a B.A. from the University of Akron and an M.A. from Georgetown University.