President Obama's New Social Secretary Is a Former Hip-Hop Journalist
Meet Deesha Dyer, the White House's badass chief party planner.
Deesha Dyer has been selected for probably the coolest job in the White House (besides, you know, being the President): social secretary, meaning she plans all the official WH events.
But she's not just some regular ol' D.C. type. Dyer's got a pretty badass background full of gems like:
1. She got her degree in women's studies
2. She's been working for the White House since she became an intern six years ago
3. She wrote articles about rap music for publications like Philadelphia Citypaper
4. She created a hip-hop AIDS program and has also volunteered for the Youth Health Empowerment Project, CARE advocacy, and served as a board member for Action AIDS
Dyer is replacing Jeremy Bernard, the first man and first openly gay person to serve in that role. And she'll start with a bang: Her initial task will be planning a state dinner for President Xi Jinping of China later this year.
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"Deesha shares our commitment to a White House that reflects America's history, highlights our culture, and celebrates all Americans," President Obama said in the statement announcing her new position. "Michelle and I look forward to working with her in this new role as we welcome visitors from across the country and around the world to the People's House." For her part, Dyer said she was "constantly inspired by the openness, diversity, and traditions of this Administration."
In an interview with Refinery29, the Philadelphia native said she hoped her timeline can show others that they can do anything. "Just keep going. We all have things in life that happen to us, and if you just sit in the moment, it can bring you down sometimes—but you just have to keep going...I hope when people read my story, they realize that they can get past [their challenges]."
Yes, Dyer. YES.
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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.