Office of Public Liaison Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==History== The Office of Public Liaison has been responsible for communicating and interacting with various interest groups. Under President [[Richard Nixon]], [[Charles Colson]] performed public liaison work. President [[Gerald Ford]] first formalized the public liaison office after he took office in 1974, giving Nixon administration veteran [[William J. Baroody Jr.]] a mandate for OPL to become "an instrument for projecting the image of a truly open administration (in contrast to Nixon's) and to secure Ford's election in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]. Under Baroody's direction, the office incorporated outreach efforts with consumers and women that had been located elsewhere in the White House, and the overall staff grew to approximately thirty. At the core of its activities was an aggressive campaign of regional conferences that enabled the nation's first un-elected president to tour the country in a campaign-like atmosphere and prepare the way for an eventual reelection campaign."<ref name="trans4">{{cite web |title=The White House Transition Project |date=March 2009 |url=http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170354/http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |publisher=White House Transition Project |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |page=4}}</ref> Some OPL heads used the office to push their own agendas. [[Midge Costanza]] used her time at OPL to broaden the influence of gays and lesbians in White House policy.<ref name="trans4" /> [[Faith Ryan Whittlesey]] used her time at OPL to increase the influence of the [[Christian right]]<ref name="Martin">Martin, William (1996). ''With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America''. New York: Broadway. p. 235. {{ISBN|0-7679-2257-3}}.</ref> and [[Anti-communism|anti-communist]] groups, such as the [[Contras]] in [[Nicaragua]].<ref>Sklar, Holly (1995). ''Washington's War on Nicaragua''. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. p. 244. {{ISBN|0-89608-295-4}}.</ref> Future cabinet secretary and U.S. senator [[Elizabeth Dole]] headed OPL under President [[Ronald Reagan]] from 1981 to 1983. Directors during [[Bill Clinton]]'s administration included future cabinet secretary [[Alexis Herman]], [[Maria Echaveste]], [[Minyon Moore]], and future [[John Kerry]] campaign manager [[Mary Beth Cahill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |title=The White House Transition Project |date=March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170354/http://whitehousetransitionproject.org/resources/briefing/WHTP-2009-03-Public%20Liaison.pdf |publisher=White House Transition Project |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |page=21}}</ref> In May 2009, Obama continued this theme and renamed the Office of Public Liaison the Office of Public ''Engagement''.<ref name=whostaff9>{{cite press release |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary |date=May 11, 2009 |title=President Obama Launches Office of Public Engagement: A New Name, Mission for White House Liaison Office |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Launches-Office-of-Public-Engagement/ |access-date=May 11, 2009 }}</ref> Under the Obama administration, the Office of Public Engagement had been referred to as "the front door to the White House, through which everyone can participate and inform the work of the President." In April 2009, actor [[Kal Penn]] was named an associate director in the Office of Public Engagement.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/04/actor-comedian-associate-director-of-public-liaison/7302/ |title=Actor, Comedian, Associate Director of Public Liaison |first=Marc |last=Ambinder |date=April 9, 2009 |work=The Atlantic }}</ref> His role was said to include outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and the arts community.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/07/actor-kal-penn-joining-the-obama-administration/ |publisher=CNN |title=Actor Kal Penn joining the Obama administration |date=April 7, 2009 }}</ref> Prior to the appointment, he was a permanent cast member in the television series ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', and his acceptance required him to be written out of the series.<ref>{{cite news |last=Daunt |first=Tina | date=April 10, 2009 |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-cause10-2009apr10,0,1161271.story | work=Los Angeles Times | title=Kal Penn tackles a new role: White House liaison}}</ref> President [[Donald Trump]] initially announced his intention to appoint [[Anthony Scaramucci]] to oversee the Office of Public Liaison in his administration, pending a review of Scaramucci's finances by the [[Office of Government Ethics]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/01/31/story-behind-scaramucci-s-delayed-appointment-amid-trump-white-house-bickering.html |publisher=[[Fox Business]] |title=The Story Behind Scaramucci's Delayed Appointment Amid Trump White House Bickering |first1=Charles |last1=Gasparino |first2=Brian |last2=Schwartz |date=January 31, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2017 }}</ref> However, [[George Sifakis]] was appointed instead in March 2017.<ref name="Sifakis">{{cite web |title=President Donald J. Trump Announces White House Staff Appointments |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2017/03/06/president-donald-j-trump-announces-white-house-staff-appointments }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kamisar|first1=Ben|title=Scaramucci lands White House job|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/314080-scaramucci-lands-white-house-job/|newspaper=The Hill|access-date=August 2, 2017|date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> [[Joe Biden]] announced on November 17, 2020, that the office will be known as the '''Office of Public Engagement''' in his incoming [[Biden administration|administration]], and was first headed by [[Cedric Richmond]] until his resignation in May 2022, when he was replaced by Adrian Saenz in an acting capacity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biden Taps Several Senior Campaign Aides For Key White House Positions|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2020/11/17/935532199/biden-taps-several-senior-campaign-aides-for-key-white-house-positions|access-date=2020-11-17|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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