Ferial Govashiri

Personal secretary to U.S. President Barack Obama

Ferial Govashiri

Personal Secretary to the President
In office May 22, 2014 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Anita Decker Breckenridge
Succeeded by	Madeleine Westerhout

Personal details
Born	1982 or 1983 (age 40–41) Iran
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of California, Irvine (BA)

Ferial Govashiri (born 1982/1983)^[1] is an Iranian-American political aide^[2] who served as the Personal Secretary to U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House from May 2014 through January 20, 2017. Govashiri is currently Chief of Staff to the Chief Content Officer at Netflix.^[3]

Beginning in the summer of 2007, she worked on then-Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign in his Chicago headquarters in the department of Scheduling and Advance. Govashiri went on to work in the White House after the election.

For the first five years of the Obama administration, Govashiri worked on the National Security Council (NSC) staff, first as a senior advisor to Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor and then as the Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff and the Director of Visits at the NSC. She helped plan the President's foreign trips as well as foreign leaders' visits to the White House.^[4] She is fluent in English and Persian. She is an active member of the Iranian American Women Foundation and has spoken at conferences on their behalf.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ferial Govashiri.

^ "Ferial Govashiri". The Hill. 2016-09-08. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20.
^ "Ferial Govashiri". Iranian American Women Foundation. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
^ "Biography". APB Speakers. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
^ Pete Souza. "President Obama with Decker and Govashiri". White House. Retrieved August 26, 2017.

Barack Obama's Executive Office of the President

Office	Name	Term	Office	Name	Term
White House Chief of Staff	Rahm Emanuel	2009–10	National Security Advisor	James L. Jones	2009–10
	Pete Rouse	2010–11		Thomas E. Donilon	2010–13
	William M. Daley	2011–12		Susan Rice	2013–17
	Jack Lew	2012–13	Deputy National Security Advisor	Thomas E. Donilon	2009–10
	Denis McDonough	2013–17		Denis McDonough	2010–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy	Mona Sutphen	2009–11		Antony Blinken	2013–14
	Nancy-Ann DeParle	2011–13		Avril Haines	2015–17
	Rob Nabors	2013–15	Dep. National Security Advisor, Homeland Security	John O. Brennan	2009–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations	Jim Messina	2009–11		Lisa Monaco	2013–17
	Alyssa Mastromonaco	2011–14	Dep. National Security Advisor, Iraq and Afghanistan	Douglas Lute†	2009–13
	Anita Decker Breckenridge	2014–17	Dep. National Security Advisor, Strategic Comm.	Ben Rhodes	2009–17
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning	Mark B. Childress	2012–14	Dep. National Security Advisor, Chief of Staff	Mark Lippert	2009
	Kristie Canegallo	2014–17		Denis McDonough	2009–10
Counselor to the President	Pete Rouse	2011–13		Brooke D. Anderson	2011–12
	John Podesta	2014–15	White House Communications Director	Ellen Moran	2009
Senior Advisor to the President	David Axelrod	2009–11		Anita Dunn	2009
	David Plouffe	2011–13		Daniel Pfeiffer	2009–13
	Daniel Pfeiffer	2013–15		Jennifer Palmieri	2013–15
	Shailagh Murray	2015–17		Jen Psaki	2015–17
Senior Advisor to the President	Pete Rouse	2009–10	Deputy White House Communications Director	Jen Psaki	2009–11
	Brian Deese	2015–17		Jennifer Palmieri	2011–14
Senior Advisor to the President and	Valerie Jarrett	2009–17		Amy Brundage	2014–16
Assistant to the President for				Liz Allen	2016–17
Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs			White House Press Secretary	Robert Gibbs	2009–11
Director, Public Engagement	Tina Tchen	2009–11		Jay Carney	2011–13
	Jon Carson	2011–13		Josh Earnest	2013–17
	Paulette L. Aniskoff	2013–17	Deputy Press Secretary	Bill Burton	2009–11
Director, Intergovernmental Affairs	Cecilia Muñoz	2009–12		Josh Earnest	2011–13
	David Agnew	2012–14		Eric Schultz	2014–17
	Jerry Abramson	2014–17	Director of Special Projects	Stephanie Cutter	2010–11
Director, National Economic Council	Lawrence Summers	2009–10	Director, Speechwriting	Jon Favreau	2009–13
	Gene Sperling	2011–14		Cody Keenan	2013–17
	Jeff Zients	2014–17	Director, Digital Strategy	Macon Phillips	2009–13
Chair, Council of Economic Advisers	Christina Romer	2009–10	Chief Digital Officer	Jason Goldman	2015–17
	Austan Goolsbee	2010–13	Director, Legislative Affairs	Phil Schiliro	2009–11
	Jason Furman	2013–17		Rob Nabors	2011–13
Chair, Economic Recovery Advisory Board	Paul Volcker	2009–11		Katie Beirne Fallon	2013–16
Chair, Council on Jobs and Competitiveness	Jeff Immelt	2011–13		Miguel Rodriguez	2016
Director, Domestic Policy Council	Melody Barnes	2009–12		Amy Rosenbaum	2016–17
	Cecilia Muñoz	2012–17	Director, Political Affairs	Patrick Gaspard	2009–11
Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships	Joshua DuBois	2009–13		David Simas	2011–16
	Melissa Rogers	2013–17	Director, Presidential Personnel	Nancy Hogan	2009–13
Director, Office of Health Reform	Nancy-Ann DeParle	2009–11		Johnathan D. McBride	2013–14
Director, Office of National AIDS Policy	Jeffrey Crowley	2009–11		Valerie E. Green	2014–15
	Grant N. Colfax	2011–13		Rodin A. Mehrbani	2016–17
	Douglas M. Brooks	2013–17	White House Staff Secretary	Lisa Brown	2009–11
Director, Office of Urban Affairs	Adolfo Carrión Jr.	2009–10		Rajesh De	2011–12
	Racquel S. Russell	2010–14		Douglas Kramer	2012–13
	Roy Austin Jr.	2014–17		Joani Walsh	2014–17
Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy	Carol Browner	2009–11	Director, Management and Administration	Bradley J. Kiley	2009–11
White House Counsel	Greg Craig	2009–10		Katy A. Kale	2011–15
	Bob Bauer	2010–11		Maju Varghese	2015–17
	Kathryn Ruemmler	2011–14	Director, Scheduling and Advance	Alyssa Mastromonaco	2009–11
	Neil Eggleston	2014–17		Danielle Crutchfield	2011–14
White House Cabinet Secretary	Chris Lu	2009–13		Chase Cushman	2014–17
	Danielle C. Gray	2013–14	Director, White House Information Technology	David Recordon	2015–17
	Broderick D. Johnson	2014–17	Director, Office of Administration	Cameron Moody	2009–11
Personal Aide to the President	Reggie Love	2009–11		Beth Jones	2011–15
	Brian Mosteller	2011–12		Cathy Solomon	2015–17
	Marvin D. Nicholson	2012–17	Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy	John Holdren	2009–17
Director, Oval Office Operations	Brian Mosteller	2012–17	Chief Technology Officer	Aneesh Chopra	2009–12
Personal Secretary to the President	Katie Johnson	2009–11		Todd Park	2012–14
	Anita Decker Breckenridge	2011–14		Megan Smith	2014–17
	Ferial Govashiri	2014–17	Director, Office of Management and Budget	Peter R. Orszag	2009–10
Chief of Staff to the First Lady	Jackie Norris	2009		Jack Lew	2010–12
	Susan Sher	2009–11		Jeff Zients	2012–13
	Tina Tchen	2011–17		Sylvia Mathews Burwell	2013–14
White House Social Secretary	Desirée Rogers	2009–10		Brian Deese	2014
	Julianna Smoot	2010–11		Shaun Donovan	2014–17
	Jeremy Bernard	2011–15	Chief Information Officer	Vivek Kundra	2009–11
	Deesha Dyer	2015–17		Steven VanRoekel	2011–14
Chief of Staff to the Vice President	Ron Klain	2009–11		Tony Scott	2015–17
	Bruce Reed	2011–13	United States Trade Representative	Ron Kirk	2009–13
	Steve Ricchetti	2013–17		Michael Froman	2013–17
White House Chief Usher	Stephen W. Rochon†	2009–11	Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy	Gil Kerlikowske	2009–14
	Angella Reid	2011–17		Michael Botticelli	2014–17
Director, White House Military Office	George Mulligan	2009–13	Chair, Council on Environmental Quality	Nancy Sutley	2009–14
	Emmett Beliveau	2013–15		Michael Boots	2014–15
	Dabney Kern	2016–17		Christy Goldfuss	2015–17

† Remained from previous administration.

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