Deesha Dyer

Deesha Dyer (born 1978) is an American public servant who served as the White House Social Secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017. Dyer also served as Deputy to the previous Social Secretary, Jeremy Bernard. She is currently the CEO of Hook & Fasten, a social-impact consulting company.

Deesha Dyer
Deesha Dyer in the Green Room of the White House after the completion of the France State Dinner.
30th White House Social Secretary
In office April 16, 2015 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jeremy Bernard
Succeeded by	Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd
Deputy White House Social Secretary
In office 2013 – April 16, 2015
President	Barack Obama
Personal details
Born	(1978-01-15) January 15, 1978 (age 46) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Community College of Philadelphia Milton Hershey School

She is a 2019 Resident Fellow for the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics.^[1]

In 2024 she released her biography, "Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble".^[2]

Early life

Dyer grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania and attended the Milton Hershey School, a boarding school founded by The Hershey Company.^[3] She attended the University of Cincinnati, but later dropped out and enrolled in Community College of Philadelphia where she earned an associate degree in women's studies.^[4][5][6][7]

Before working at the White House she worked as the executive assistant at PREIT and a freelance writer at the Philadelphia Citypaper.^[8][9][10] She also started an HIV-awareness program, distributing fliers and condoms at local hip-hop clubs.^[6]

White House career

At age 31, her White House career began as an intern in the Office of Scheduling and Advance in Fall 2009.^[3]

Following her internship, Dyer became associate director for scheduling correspondence and then was named hotel program director. In this role, she travelled with the president and first lady and planned lodging accommodations.^[6]

She became deputy social secretary and was later promoted to special assistant to the president and social secretary,^[11] making her the Obama administration's fourth social secretary and the second of African-American descent. In 2018, she contributed a chapter to West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House recounting her experiences in the Obama White House.^[12]

In 2019, Dyer created the Black Girl 44 Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to Black college women who are interning in politics or public service.^[11] The scholarship is housed through Impact of a Vote.^[11] The initiative, founded by Dyer, offers free workshops, newsletters, and job postings to help Black college students explore careers in politics and public service.^[13]

She founded Hook & Fasten, a social social-impact consulting company, and serves as the CEO.^[14][15]

References

1. "About". Deesha Dyer. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
2. Dyer, Deesha (May 19, 2024). Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble. Grand Central. ISBN 978-1-5387-4169-6.
3. "How Deesha Dyer went from a 31-year-old White House intern to Barack Obama's social secretary - Elle India". Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
4. Andrews-Dyer, Helena (April 16, 2015). "Deesha Dyer named the new White House social secretary". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
5. Harris, Gardiner (September 20, 2015). "A Rookie Brings Her Skills to the 'Super Bowl' of Social Planning". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
6. Thompson, Krissah (May 7, 2015). "How Deesha Dyer, a hip-hop lover from Philly, became social secretary". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
7. Booker, Bobbi (February 24, 2018). "Former White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer to deliver keynote". The Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
8. "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
9. "White House Announces Deesha Dyer as Social Secretary". whitehouse.gov. April 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2017 – via National Archives.
10. "Socializing with President Obama's Social Secretary | Magazine | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
11. Connley, Courtney (April 28, 2021). "Meet the Obama White House alum working to increase access for young women in politics". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
12. West Wingers | PenguinRandomHouse.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
13. Reid, Pauleanna. "How This Former White House Staffer Is Breaking The Glass Ceiling For Black Women In Politics". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
14. Kalita, S. Mitra (November 22, 2022). "The Real Reason to Support BIPOC Brands". Time. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
15. Wilson, Kimberly (March 24, 2023). "Remy Martin Celebrates D.C. Changemakers For Women's History Month Celebration". Essence. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

Political offices
Preceded by Jeremy Bernard	White House Social Secretary 2015–2017	Succeeded by Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd