More On Norris Move

When Jackie Norris sat down in her East Wing office less than three weeks ago to talk about her role as FLOTUS Michelle Obama's CoS, she did not sound like someone who was about to change jobs. Norris seemed extremely comfortable in her post during an interview with the National Journal and spoke expansively about the work of the FLOTUS office and the role that Obama was playing in her husband's admin.

Asked what drew her to her job, Norris, an ex-high school gov't teacher, said: "The opportunity to work for the First Lady and to really think through how we could do great things together was really very powerful, especially the impact we could have on young people, which is my passion, was something that was really important to me personally."

But today, a WH press release announced that Norris was stepping down to become a senior advisor to the Corporation for National and Community Service. Norris was replaced by Susan Sher, a long-time friend and mentor to M. Obama from Chicago, had been serving as assoc. counsel to the Pres. Obama and providing advice to legal advice to his wife.

Norris was an interesting choice to be M. Obama's CoS. She had a more political background that the chiefs-of-staff to FLOTUS Laura Bush, Andrea Ball and Anita McBride and probably, Hillary Rodham Clinton's CoS when she was FLOTUS, Maggie Williams. Norris had worked as a scheduler for Al Gore in the mid-90s and later became dir. of scheduling and advance for then-HUD Sec. Andrew Cuomo. Norris was finance dir. for Tom Vilsack's '98 GOV campaign, and in '00 was the IA pol. dir. for Gore's caucus campaign there. Norris got to know both Obamas when she served as a senior adviser to his '08 caucus campaign and managed the state for Obama in the general election.

During the caucuses, Norris spent a great deal of time campaigning throughout the state with M. Obama, an experience that Norris lead to being tapped as CoS.

"A lot of what I did was travel with the First Lady and the President," Norris said. "But the First Lady and I really hit it off; we have a lot in common. And you learn a lot about a person when you sit in a minivan and drive across Iowa. So, you know, it was a great interview, really, a great interview process because you work together in high pressure settings towards a common goal."

Norris spoke effusively of M. Obama's strengths as FLOTUS. "She is strategic in her thinking," said Norris. "I think one of the things we do really well is for everything we do, we really think through how to make it the best possible event." Norris continued, "I think she really brings this idea of thoughtfulness to everything we do. Pushes us to really make sure we've asked every question and dotted every 'i' and that it's a worthwhile, value-added exercise."

In separate interviews with social secretary Desiree Rogers, comm. dir. Camille Johnston, and Jocelyn Frye, the deputy ass't to the president for domestic policy and dir. of policy and special projects for M. Obama, all seemed to be working well together with Norris. Indeed, Norris felt that her staff was a tremendous help to her "I am blessed," said Norris. "We put together a wonderful, mature, professional team with very diverse experiences so when you sit us all round a table, it's kind of like a symphony comes together because we're all looking at things from a very different angle. ... And so when you bring it all together, it's just a wonderful conversation to have with a team."

Norris's husband, John, is CoS to now-USDA Sec. Vilsack, although Jackie Norris received her Obama admin. job offer before her husband did. The couple has three young children, but Norris seemed to be balancing the rigors of family and job well, an issue that she stressed is important to the FLOTUS. And Norris noted that the nanny of her three young children in Iowa had moved to DC, with the Norrises to take care of them.

(National Journal's JIM BARNES)

Norris was an interesting choice to be M. Obama's CoS. She had a more political background that the chiefs-of-staff to FLOTUS Laura Bush, Andrea Ball and Anita McBride and probably, Hillary Rodham Clinton's CoS when she was FLOTUS, Maggie Williams. Norris had worked as a scheduler for Al Gore in the mid-90s and later became dir. of scheduling and advance for then-HUD Sec. Andrew Cuomo. Norris was finance dir. for Tom Vilsack's '98 GOV campaign, and in '00 was the IA pol. dir. for Gore's caucus campaign there. Norris got to know both Obamas when she served as a senior adviser to his '08 caucus campaign and managed the state for Obama in the general election.

During the caucuses, Norris spent a great deal of time campaigning throughout the state with M. Obama, an experience that Norris lead to being tapped as CoS.

"A lot of what I did was travel with the First Lady and the President," Norris said. "But the First Lady and I really hit it off; we have a lot in common. And you learn a lot about a person when you sit in a minivan and drive across Iowa. So, you know, it was a great interview, really, a great interview process because you work together in high pressure settings towards a common goal."

Norris spoke effusively of M. Obama's strengths as FLOTUS. "She is strategic in her thinking," said Norris. "I think one of the things we do really well is for everything we do, we really think through how to make it the best possible event." Norris continued, "I think she really brings this idea of thoughtfulness to everything we do. Pushes us to really make sure we've asked every question and dotted every 'i' and that it's a worthwhile, value-added exercise."

In separate interviews with social secretary Desiree Rogers, comm. dir. Camille Johnston, and Jocelyn Frye, the deputy ass't to the president for domestic policy and dir. of policy and special projects for M. Obama, all seemed to be working well together with Norris. Indeed, Norris felt that her staff was a tremendous help to her "I am blessed," said Norris. "We put together a wonderful, mature, professional team with very diverse experiences so when you sit us all round a table, it's kind of like a symphony comes together because we're all looking at things from a very different angle. ... And so when you bring it all together, it's just a wonderful conversation to have with a team."

Norris's husband, John, is CoS to now-USDA Sec. Vilsack, although Jackie Norris received her Obama admin. job offer before her husband did. The couple has three young children, but Norris seemed to be balancing the rigors of family and job well, an issue that she stressed is important to the FLOTUS. And Norris noted that the nanny of her three young children in Iowa had moved to DC, with the Norrises to take care of them.

(National Journal's JIM BARNES)