Benjamin J. Rhodes (born 1977) is the current deputy national security adviser for strategic communication for U.S. President Barack Obama . His formal title is "Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting."[ 1] Rhodes has been a foreign policy speechwriter for Obama since 2007. He is a graduate of New York's Collegiate School ,[ 2] Rice University , and New York University .
Early life and education [ edit ]
Rhodes grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and attended the exclusive Collegiate School, graduating in 1996.[ 3] [ 4] Rhodes then attended Rice University, graduating in 2000 with majors in English and political science. He then moved back to New York, attending New York University and graduating in 2002 with an MFA in creative writing.[ 5]
Early political career [ edit ]
In the summer of 1997, Rhodes volunteered with the Rudy Giuliani mayoral campaign. In the summer of 2001, he worked on the New York City Council campaign of Diana Reyna .[ 6]
Foreign policy speechwriter [ edit ]
In 2002, James Gibney , editor of Foreign Policy , introduced Rhodes to Lee Hamilton , former member of the House of Representative and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , who was looking for a speechwriter.[ 4] Rhodes then spent five years as a Hamilton assistant, helping to draft the Iraq Study Group Report and the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission .[ 7]
In 2007, Rhodes began working as a speechwriter for the 2008 Obama presidential campaign.
Rhodes, who has been described as a realist by The Washington Post ,[ 8] wrote Obama's 2009 Cairo speech "A New Beginning ".[ 9] Rhodes was the adviser who counseled Obama to withdraw support from Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak , becoming a key adviser during the 2011 Arab Spring .[ 10] In March, 2013, Rhodes declined to comment on his role in Obama administration policy decisions, saying, "My main job, which has always been my job, is to be the person who represents the president’s view on these issues."[ 10]
Awards and honors [ edit ]
In 2011, Rhodes was on Time magazine ' s "40 Under 40" list of powerful and prominent young professionals.[ 11]
Personal life [ edit ]
Rhodes is married to Ann Norris, chief foreign policy adviser to Senator Barbara Boxer .[citation needed ] His brother, David, is chairman of CBS News [ 12]
External links [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Office
Name
Term
Office
Name
Term
White House Chief of Staff
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
Rahm Emanuel
Pete Rouse
William M. Daley
Jack Lew
Denis R. McDonough
Mona Sutphen
Nancy-Ann DeParle
Rob Nabors
2009–10
2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2013–
2009–11
2011–13
2013–
National Security Advisor
Deputy National Security Advisor
Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan
Jim Jones
Thomas E. Donilon
Susan Rice
Thomas E. Donilon
Denis McDonough
Tony Blinken
Douglas Lute †
2009–10
2010–13
2013–
2009–10
2010–13
2013–
2009–13
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Jim Messina
Alyssa Mastromonaco
Anita Decker Breckenridge
2009–11
2011–14
2014–
Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications
Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security
Ben Rhodes
John O. Brennan
Lisa Monaco
2009–
2009–13
2013–
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Planning
Mark B. Childress
Kristie Canegallo
2012–14
2014–
Deputy National Security Advisor and NSC Chief of Staff
Denis McDonough
Brooke Anderson
2009–10
2011–
Senior Advisor to the President
David Axelrod
David Plouffe
Daniel Pfeiffer
2009–11
2011–13
2013–
White House Communications Director
Daniel Pfeiffer
Jennifer Palmieri
2009–13
2013–
Senior Advisor to the President
Counselor to the President
Pete Rouse
Pete Rouse
John Podesta
2009–10
2011–13
2014–
Deputy White House Communications Director
Jen Psaki
Jennifer Palmieri
Amy Brundage
2009–11
2011–14
2014–
Senior Advisor to the President and
Assistant to the President for
Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs
Director of Public Engagement
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Director, National Economic Council
Valerie Jarrett
Christina Tchen
Jon Carson
Paulette Aniskoff
Cecilia Muñoz
David Agnew
Jerry Abramson
Lawrence Summers
Gene Sperling
Jeffrey Zients
2009–
2009–11
2011–13
2013–
2009–12
2012–14
2014–
2009–10
2011–14
2014–
White House Press Secretary
Deputy Press Secretary
Director of Special Projects
Director of Speechwriting
White House Counsel
Robert Gibbs
Jay Carney
Josh Earnest
Bill Burton
Josh Earnest
Stephanie Cutter
Jon Favreau
Cody Keenan
Greg Craig
Robert Bauer
Kathryn Ruemmler
W. Neil Eggleston
2009–11
2011–13
2013–
2009–11
2011–13
2010–11
2009–13
2013–
2009–10
2010–11
2011–14
2014–
Deputy Director, National Economic Council
Deputy Director, National Economic Council
Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Diana Farrell
Brian Deese
Jason Furman
Paul Volcker
2009–11
2011–13
2009–13
2009–11
Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Phil Schiliro
Rob Nabors
Miguel Rodriguez
Katie Beirne Fallon
2009–11
2011–13
2013
2013–
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors
Christina Romer
Austan Goolsbee
Jason Furman
2009–10
2010–13
2013–
Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Lisa Konwinski
Amy Rosenbaum
2009–
2014–
Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
Katharine Abraham
2011–
Executive Clerk
George T. Saunders†
David Kalbaugh
2009–12
2012–
Member of the Council of Economic Advisors
Cecilia Rouse
2009–
Director, Office of Political Affairs
Patrick Gaspard
David Simas
2009–11
2013–
Director, Office of Management and Budget
Peter R. Orszag
Jack Lew
Jeffrey Zients
Sylvia Mathews Burwell
Brian Deese
Shaun Donovan
2009–10
2010–12
2012–13
2013–14
2014
2014–
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Information Officer
Aneesh Chopra
Todd Park
Megan Smith
Vivek Kundra
Steven VanRoekel
2009–12
2012–14
2014–
2009–11
2011–14
Chief Performance Officer and Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget
Jeffrey Zients
2009–13
Director, Office of Presidential Personnel
Nancy Hogan
Johnathan McBride
2010–14
2014–
Deputy Director, Office of Management and Budget
Jeffrey Liebman
Heather Higginbottom
Brian Deese
2010
2011–13
2013–
Director of Scheduling and Advance
Director, White House Military Office
Alyssa Mastromonaco
Danielle White Crutchfield
George D. Mulligan, Jr.
Emmett Beliveau
2009–11
2011–
2009–13
2013–
United States Trade Representative
Ron Kirk
Michael Froman
2009–13
2013–
Cabinet Secretary
Chris Lu
Broderick Johnson
2009–13
2013–
Director, Domestic Policy Council
Melody Barnes
Cecilia Muñoz
2009–12
2012–
Deputy Cabinet Secretary
Liz Sears Smith
2009–
Deputy Director, Domestic Policy Council
Heather Higginbottom
Mark Zuckerman
2009–11
2011–
Staff Secretary
Lisa Brown
Rajesh De
Douglas Kramer
Joani Walsh
2009–11
2011–12
2012–13
2014–
Director, Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Joshua DuBois
2009–
Assistant to the President for Management and Administration
Bradley Kiley
Katy Kale
2009–13
2013–
Director, Office of Health Reform
Nancy-Ann DeParle
2009–11
Director, Oval Office Operations
Micaela Fernandez
Brian Mosteller
2009–12
2012–
Deputy Director, Office of Health Reform
Jeanne Lambrew
2009–
Personal Aide to the President
Reggie Love
Marvin Nicholson
2009–11
2011–
Director, Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy
Carol Browner
2009–11
Personal Secretary to the President
Katie Johnson
Anita Decker Breckenridge
Ferial Govashiri
2009–11
2011–14
2014–
Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Heather Zichal
2009–
Special Projects Coordinator and Confidential Assistant to the President
Eugene Kang
2009–
Director, Council on Environmental Quality
Director, Office of National AIDS Policy
Nancy Sutley
Jeffrey Crowley
2009–
2009–
Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Jackie Norris
Susan Sher
Christina Tchen
2009
2009–10
2011–
Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Gil Kerlikowske
Michael Botticelli (acting)
2009–14
2014–
White House Social Secretary
Desirée Rogers
Julianna Smoot
Jeremy Bernard
2009–10
2010–11
2011–
Director, Office of Urban Affairs
Adolfo Carrión, Jr.
2009–
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
John Holdren
2009–
Persondata
Name
Rhodes, Ben
Alternative names
Short description
American speechwriter
Date of birth
1977
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death