White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and tribal governments.^[1][2] The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors, tribal leaders, mayors, state legislators, and county executives.^[1][2] The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs works with federal agencies and departments to ensure appropriate coordination between state, local, and tribal governments and the federal government.^[1] The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez^[3] until she resigned on May 16, 2023 to become Biden's Campaign Manager for his 2024 reelection bid. Tom Perez became Director on June 12, 2023.

White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Agency overview
Formed	1955; 69 years ago (1955)
Headquarters	Eisenhower Executive Office Building Washington, D.C., U.S. 38°53′51.24″N 77°2′20.93″W
Agency executive	Tom Perez, Director
Parent department	White House Office

Origin

The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs was established in 1955 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he appointed former Arizona Governor John Howard Pyle as Special Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs. The appointment followed the recommendations of the Kestnbaum Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, which had been established by Congress to study problems in the interactions between federal and state governments.^[4]

List of directors

Name	Start	End	President		Ref
John Pyle	February 1, 1955	January 31, 1959		Dwight D. Eisenhower	[5]
Unknown	January 31, 1959	January 20, 1961
	January 20, 1961	November 22, 1963		John F. Kennedy
	November 22, 1963	January 20, 1969		Lyndon B. Johnson
Nils Boe	January 20, 1969	August 10, 1971		Richard Nixon	[6]
Hebert McCoy	August 10, 1971	August 9, 1974
	August 9, 1974	January 20, 1977		Gerald Ford
Jack Watson	January 20, 1977	June 11, 1980		Jimmy Carter	[7][8]
Gene Eidenberg	June 11, 1980	January 20, 1981			[9]
Rich Williamson	January 20, 1981	May 17, 1983		Ronald Reagan	[10]
Lee Verstandig	May 24, 1983	March 26, 1985			[11]
Mitch Daniels	March 26, 1985	October 1, 1985			[12]
Deborah Steelman	October 17, 1985	April 17, 1986			[13]
Gwendolyn King	April 17, 1986	May 2, 1988			[14]
Andy Card	May 2, 1988	September 21, 1988			[15]
Karen Spencer	September 21, 1988	January 20, 1989			[16]
Deb Anderson	January 20, 1989	January 24, 1992		George H. W. Bush	[17]
Sherrie Rollins	January 24, 1992	January 20, 1993			[18]
Regina Montoya	January 20, 1993	August 7, 1993		Bill Clinton	[19]
Marcia Hale	August 7, 1993	May 16, 1997			[19]
Mickey Ibarra	May 16, 1997	January 20, 2001			[20]
Ruben Barrales	January 20, 2001	December 28, 2006		George W. Bush	[21]
Maggie Grant	December 28, 2006	January 4, 2008			[22]
Janet Creighton	January 4, 2008	January 20, 2009			[23]
Cecilia Muñoz	January 20, 2009	January 10, 2012		Barack Obama	[24]
David Agnew	January 10, 2012	November 17, 2014			[25]
Jerry Abramson	November 17, 2014	January 20, 2017			[26]
Justin Clark	January 20, 2017	March 18, 2018		Donald Trump	[27]
Doug Hoelscher	March 18, 2018	January 20, 2021			[28]
Julie Rodriguez	January 20, 2021	May 16, 2023		Joe Biden	[29]
Vacant	May 16, 2023	June 12, 2023			[30]
Tom Perez	June 12, 2023	present			[31]

Political and Intergovernmental Affairs

During the second term of the Reagan administration, there was a director of political and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the political director and intergovernmental affairs director.

Image	Name	Start	End	President
	Ed Rollins	February 5, 1985	October 1, 1985		Ronald Reagan
	Mitch Daniels	October 1, 1985	March 1, 1987
	Frank Donatelli	March 1, 1987	January 20, 1989

Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs

During the Obama administration, there was a director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the public engagement director and intergovernmental affairs director.

Image	Name	Start	End	President
	Valerie Jarrett	January 20, 2009	January 20, 2017		Barack Obama

References

1. "Readout of the White House Forum on State and Federal Relations". whitehouse.gov. 2017-09-13 – via National Archives.
2. Pazniokas, Mark (January 19, 2017). "Justin Clark named to White House staff". The Connecticut Mirror. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
3. "Julie Rodriguez - Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs". Biden-Harris Transition. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
4. Patterson, Bradley H. (1994). "Teams and Staff: Dwight Eisenhower's Innovations in the Structure and Operations of the Modern White House". Presidential Studies Quarterly. 24 (2): 277–298. JSTOR 27551241.
5. "PYLE, HOWARD: Records, 1955-59" (PDF). Eisenhower Library. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
6. "Statement on Signing Executive Order Establishing the Office of Intergovernmental Relations. | the American Presidency Project".
7. "Jack H. Watson, Jr. Oral History | Miller Center". 27 October 2016.
8. "Digest of Other White House Announcements Week Ending Friday, | the American Presidency Project".
9. "Digest of Other White House Announcements Week Ending | the American Presidency Project".
10. "Letter Accepting the Resignation of Richard S. Williamson as Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
11. "Appointment of Lee Verstandig as Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
12. "Appointment of Mitchell Daniels, Jr., as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
13. "Appointment of Deborah Steelman as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
14. "Appointment of Gwendolyn S. King as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
15. "Appointment of Andrew H. Card, Jr., as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
16. "Appointment of Karen Spencer as Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
17. "Appointment of Debra Rae Anderson as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
18. "Appointment of Sherrie S. Rollins as Assistant to the President for Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs | the American Presidency Project".
19. "Statement on White House Staff Changes | the American Presidency Project".
20. "Digest of Other White House Announcements | the American Presidency Project".
21. "President Bush to Nominate Barrales as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of OGA | the American Presidency Project".
22. "Personnel Announcement | the American Presidency Project".
23. "Personnel Announcement | the American Presidency Project".
24. "Press Release: President-Elect Barack Obama Names Two New White House Staff Members | the American Presidency Project".
25. "Press Release - President Obama Announces New White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs David Agnew | the American Presidency Project".
26. "Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson resigns; Governor appoints successor". Archived from the original on 2014-11-06.
27. "Press Release - President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces Second Wave of Additional White House Staff | the American Presidency Project".
28. "Press Release - President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President | the American Presidency Project".
29. "Press Release - President-elect Joe Biden Announces Members of White House Senior Staff | the American Presidency Project".
30. "Julie Chavez Rodriguez, from quiet aide to running Biden's campaign". The Washington Post. 2023-05-01. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01.
31. "Statement from President Joe Biden on Tom Perez". 12 June 2023.

External links

• Official website from the presidency of Barack Obama