McDonough, Denis, 1969-

<p> Denis McDonough is currently serving as the President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, a position he assumed in February 2013. Prior to assuming this role, he served as the Deputy National Security Advisor from October 2010 to January 2013. He also served as the Chief of Staff of the National Security Staff and as the Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications. </p>

<p> Prior to arriving at the White House, McDonough served as a senior advisor on foreign policy issues on the Presidential Transition Team and on President Obama’s 2008 campaign. Prior to that, he was a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. McDonough has also worked in the Congress, including as Foreign Policy Advisor for Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. </p>

<p> McDonough graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, and has a master's from Georgetown University. A native of Stillwater, Minnesota, McDonough currently lives in Maryland with his wife Kari and three children. </p>

<p> As chief of staff for President Barack Obama, Denis McDonough led the White House for the President’s entire second term and played a definitive role in shaping U.S. national security policy. Among President Obama’s closest advisors, McDonough first joined then-Senator Obama’s campaign as senior foreign policy advisor in 2007. During the administration’s first term, McDonough served as principal deputy national security advisor. Upon McDonough’s appointment to chief of staff in 2013, President Obama said, “Were it not for him, we wouldn’t be as effective a White House,” additionally noting that he relied on McDonough’s intellect, judgment, and indispensable advice throughout their time working together. McDonough provides exceptional insight into the legislative process on Capitol Hill, domestic politics, and the use of executive authority. </p>

<p> McDonough is currently an Executive Fellow at the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs, teaching a global policy seminar for students focused on refugees and migration. Additionally, he serves as Senior Advisor for Technology and Global Policy for Macro Advisory Partners, a strategic advisory firm which helps to navigate the intersection of global markets, geopolitics and policy. </p>

<p> Drawing from his role as a Senior Advisor at the Markle Foundation, McDonough offers insight into how the labor market must transform so that all Americans have the opportunity to thrive in the digital economy. </p>

<p> From current terrorism and cybersecurity threats, to the future of education and skills training, McDonough understands the global factors that impact modern organizations and helps audiences identify the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. </p>

<p> Denis McDonough is a visiting senior fellow in Carnegie’s Technology and International Affairs Program. Previously, he served as White House chief of staff for President Obama’s second term, managing the four thousand member White House staff, as well as cabinet secretaries and agency leaders. He provided strategic advice to the president on the most significant domestic policy, national security, and management issues facing the federal government and enforced plans and accountability for performance and goals, maintaining the Obama administration’s reputation for effective, ethical operation. He planned and coordinated efforts to recruit and retain key talent—including an unprecedented expansion of technology experts, engineers, and content generators within the White House and across the federal government. </p>

<p> Prior to his role as chief of staff, McDonough served as White House deputy national security adviser from September 2010 to February 2013. In this position, he chaired the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee, leading a multiagency team to address complex national security challenges, including crisis management as well as policy decisions related to the Iran nuclear negotiations, strategic arms reductions talks with Russia, the United States re-balance to Asia, the Afghanistan surge, and the Iraq drawdown. Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, McDonough served as senior foreign policy adviser for Obama for America. </p>

<p> Prior to his eight-year stint in the White House, McDonough served in senior leadership and policymaking positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a professional staff member on the International Relations Committee, and in the U.S. Senate for the Senate majority leader and for Senator Ken Salazar (CO). </p>

<p> McDonough received his B.A., summa cum laude, from St. John’s University in Minnesota and his M.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three children. </p>

<p> McDonough is currently Senior Advisor at the Markle Foundation, working to create a skills-based labor market that enables all Americans to succeed in the digital economy. </p>

<p> Previously, as Senior Principal at Markle, from 2017-2019, McDonough has been leading the Rework America Task Force, a coalition of diverse, cross-sector leaders from business, education, government and other organizations. </p>

<p> McDonough also serves as Senior Advisor for Technology and Global Policy for Macro Advisory Partners, a strategic advisory firm which helps to navigate the intersection of global markets, geopolitics and policy. In addition, he is Executive Fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, teaching a global policy seminar for graduate and undergraduate students. </p>

<p> From February 2013 to January 2017, McDonough served as White House Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama. In that role, McDonough managed the White House staff, as well as Cabinet Secretaries and agency leaders. He advised the President on domestic policy and national security challenges facing the country, management issues facing the federal government, and devised and enforced plans and accountability for performance and goals, maintaining the Obama Administration’s reputation for effective, ethical operation. He planned and coordinated efforts to recruit and retain key talent—including an unprecedented expansion of technology experts and engineers within the White House and across the federal government. </p>

<p> Prior to his role as Chief of Staff, from September 2010 until February 2013, McDonough was Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. He chaired the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee, leading a multiagency team to address complex national security challenges, including crisis management and national security policy making decisions. Throughout the 2008 Presidential campaign, McDonough served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor for Obama for America. </p>

<p> Prior to his eight-year tenure in the White House, McDonough served in senior leadership and policy-making positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, as Professional Staff Member on the International Relations Committee, and in the U.S. Senate, for the Senate Majority Leader and for Senator Ken Salazar (CO). </p>

<p> He is on the board of directors for Catalyte, a Baltimore-based company that uses AI and data science to build technology workforces for the world’s most progressive companies. He is a member of the National Democratic Institute board of directors and of the advisory council for the Tent Partnership for Refugees. He is also on the board of directors for the SAFE Project, a national nonprofit working to end the nation’s catastrophic addiction epidemic. </p>

<p> McDonough received his B.A., summa cum laude, from St. John’s University (MN) and his M.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He lives in Maryland with his wife and three children. </p>

Denis Richard McDonough (born December 2, 1969) was the 26th White House Chief of Staff, succeeding Jack Lew at the start of U.S. President Barack Obama's second term.

From 2013 to 2017, Denis McDonough served as White House chief of staff for President Obama. As chief of staff, McDonough managed the 4,000-member White House staff in addition to cabinet secretaries and the heads of various federal agencies. From 2010 to 2013, McDonough served as assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor. In these roles, McDonough provided advice to the president on national security challenges and crisis management in international affairs. During the 2008 campaign, McDonough served as the senior foreign policy advisor. Prior to his career in the White House, McDonough worked in a number of senior policy-making positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, as professional staff member on the International Relations Committee, and in the U.S. Senate, for the Senate Majority Leader and for Senator Ken Salazar. He is now a visiting senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program. Additionally, McDonough serves as a senior principal at the Markle Foundation, where he chairs the Rework America Task Force, a national initiative to modernize the labor market. McDonough also serves as an executive fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs teaching a global policy seminar.