White House Social Secretary
# White House Social Secretary

The White House social secretary is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of official social events at the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States.

## Function

The social secretary is head of the White House Social Office, located in the East Wing of the White House Complex. The social secretary plans events ranging from those as simple as a tea for the first lady and a single official guest to dinners for more than 200 guests. The social secretary works with the White House chief usher to coordinate domestic staff and with the chief of protocol of the United States, an official within the United States Department of State, to plan state visits and accompanying state dinners. The social secretary works with the White House Graphics and Calligraphy Office in the production of invitations to social events.

The social secretary works on both the political and non-political functions of the presidency, coordinating events for the president, the first lady, and senior political staff. The White House social secretary serves at the president's pleasure and is appointed by each administration.

## Notable office-holders

On February 25, 2011, the White House appointed Jeremy Bernard, the first male, and first openly gay, social secretary in that position's history. "I have long admired the arts and education programs that have become hallmarks of the Obama White House and I am eager to continue these efforts in the years ahead," Bernard said during the announcing press conference.

## List of White House social secretaries

| No. | Social Secretary | Term of office | President |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Belle Hagner | 1901–1909 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| 2 | Alice Blech | 1909–1910 | William Howard Taft |
| 3 | Mary Spiers | 1910–1913 | William Howard Taft |
| 4 | Belle Hagner | 1913–1915 | Woodrow Wilson |
| 5 | Edith Benham Helm | 1915–1921 | Woodrow Wilson |
| 6 | Laura Harlan | 1921–1923 | Warren G. Harding |
| 6 | Laura Harlan | 1923–1929 | Calvin Coolidge |
| 7 | Mary Randolph | 1929–1931 | Herbert Hoover |
| 8 | Doris Goss | 1931–1933 | Herbert Hoover |
| 9 | Edith Benham Helm | 1933–1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 9 | Edith Benham Helm | 1945–1953 | Harry S. Truman |
| 10 | Mary Jane McCaffree | 1955–1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 11 | Letitia Baldrige | 1961–1963 | John F. Kennedy |
| 12 | Nancy Tuckerman | 1963–1963 | John F. Kennedy |
| 13 | Bess Abell | 1963–1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 14 | Lucy Winchester | 1969–1974 | Richard Nixon |
| 15 | Nancy Lammerding Ruwe | 1974–1975 | Gerald Ford |
| 16 | Maria Downs | 1975–1977 | Gerald Ford |
| 17 | Gretchen Poston | 1977–1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| 18 | Mabel (Muffie) Brandon | 1981–1983 | Ronald Reagan |
| 19 | Gahl Hodges | 1983–1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| 20 | Linda Faulkner | 1985–1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 21 | Laurie Firestone | 1989–1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| 22 | Ann Stock | 1993–1997 | Bill Clinton |
| 23 | Capricia Marshall | 1997–2001 | Bill Clinton |
| 24 | Catherine Fenton | 2001–2004 | George W. Bush |
| 25 | Lea Berman | 2005–2007 | George W. Bush |
| 26 | Amy Zantzinger | 2007–2009 | George W. Bush |
| 27 | Desirée Rogers | 2009–2010 | Barack Obama |
| 28 | Julianna Smoot | 2010–2011 | Barack Obama |
| 29 | Jeremy Bernard | 2011–2015 | Barack Obama |
| 30 | Deesha Dyer | 2015–2017 | Barack Obama |
| 31 | Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump |
| 32 | Carlos Elizondo | 2021–present | Joe Biden |
