Deesha Dyer Explained

Deesha Dyer
Office:30th White House Social Secretary
Term Start:April 16, 2015
Term End:January 20, 2017
Predecessor:Jeremy Bernard
President:Barack Obama
Successor:Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd
Office1:Deputy White House Social Secretary
Term Start1:2013
Term End1:April 16, 2015
President1:Barack Obama
Party:Democratic
Birth Date:15 January 1978
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
U.S.
Alma Mater:Community College of
Philadelphia
Milton Hershey School

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.

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. 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.[3] [4] [5] [6]

Before working at the White House she worked as the executive assistant at the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and a freelance writer at the Philadelphia Citypaper.[7] [8] [9] She also started an HIV-awareness program, distributing fliers and condoms at local hip-hop clubs.

White House career

At age 31, her White House career began as an intern in the Office of Scheduling and Advance in Fall 2009.[10]

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.

She became deputy social secretary and was later promoted to special assistant to the president and social secretary, 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.[11]

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.[12] The scholarship is housed through Impact of a Vote. 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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About . 2023-09-24 . Deesha Dyer . en-US . November 22, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221122001135/https://www.deeshadyer.com/about . live .
  2. Book: Undiplomatic: How My Attitude Created the Best Kind of Trouble . 978-1-5387-4169-6 . Dyer . Deesha . May 19, 2024 . Grand Central .
  3. News: Andrews-Dyer . Helena . 2015-04-16 . Deesha Dyer named the new White House social secretary . . October 27, 2023 . April 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190402020227/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2015/04/16/deesha-dyer-is-the-new-white-house-social-secretary/ . live .
  4. News: Harris . Gardiner . 2015-09-20 . A Rookie Brings Her Skills to the 'Super Bowl' of Social Planning . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-01-08 . 0362-4331 . July 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230727064847/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/21/us/for-an-extraordinary-week-an-unconventional-organizer.html . live .
  5. News: Thompson . Krissah . 2015-05-07 . How Deesha Dyer, a hip-hop lover from Philly, became social secretary . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-01-08 . 0190-8286 . January 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200101023320/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/deesha-dyer-how-a-hip-hop-lover-from-philly-became-social-secretary/2015/05/07/97f93098-ef48-11e4-8abc-d6aa3bad79dd_story.html . live .
  6. Web site: Booker . Bobbi . 2018-02-24 . Former White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer to deliver keynote . 2023-01-29 . The Philadelphia Tribune . en . January 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129200633/https://www.phillytrib.com/lifestyle/former-white-house-social-secretary-deesha-dyer-to-deliver-keynote/article_de5c95b5-d71c-5ab8-94d9-a9bc82205725.html . live .
  7. Web site: Archives - Philly.com . August 19, 2017 . articles.philly.com . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065513/http://articles.philly.com/2015-04-18/news/61257685_1_jeremy-bernard-white-house-first-lady . live .
  8. Web site: April 16, 2015 . White House Announces Deesha Dyer as Social Secretary . August 19, 2017 . . . July 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230726200006/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/04/16/white-house-announces-deesha-dyer-social-secretary . live .
  9. Web site: Socializing with President Obama's Social Secretary Magazine The Harvard Crimson . 2020-08-01 . www.thecrimson.com . June 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220607213753/https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/17/deesha-dyer-profile/ . live .
  10. Web site: How Deesha Dyer went from a 31-year-old White House intern to Barack Obama's social secretary - Elle India . 2023-01-08 . en-US . January 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230108224320/https://elle.in/article/deesha-dyer-from-white-house-intern-to-barack-obamas-social-secretary/ . live .
  11. Book: West Wingers PenguinRandomHouse.com. en-US. October 27, 2023. July 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230722181834/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/572629/west-wingers-by-edited-by-gautam-raghavan/. live.
  12. Web site: Connley . Courtney . 2021-04-28 . Meet the Obama White House alum working to increase access for young women in politics . 2023-01-29 . CNBC . en . January 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129201000/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/28/meet-the-obama-white-house-alum-working-to-increase-access-for-young-women-in-politics.html . live .
  13. Web site: Reid . Pauleanna . How This Former White House Staffer Is Breaking The Glass Ceiling For Black Women In Politics . 2023-01-29 . Forbes . en . January 29, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230129201505/https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauleannareid/2021/05/11/how-this-former-white-house-staffer-is-breaking-the-glass-ceiling-for-black-women-in-politics/ . live .
  14. Kalita . S. Mitra . 2022-11-22 . The Real Reason to Support BIPOC Brands . 2023-01-29 . Time . en . June 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230606075608/https://time.com/charter/6235792/support-bipoc-brands-holiday-shopping/ . live .
  15. Web site: Wilson . Kimberly . 2023-03-24 . Remy Martin Celebrates D.C. Changemakers For Women's History Month Celebration . 2023-06-05 . Essence . en-US . June 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610143854/https://www.essence.com/news/money-career/remy-martin-dc-changemakers-womens-history-month/ . live .

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