# 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. The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors, tribal leaders, mayors, state legislators, and county executives. 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. The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez 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.

## 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.

## List of directors

| Name | Start | End | President |
| John Pyle | February 1, 1955 | January 31, 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| Unknown | January 31, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| Unknown | January 20, 1961 | November 22, 1963 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| Unknown | November 22, 1963 | January 20, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| Nils Boe | January 20, 1969 | August 10, 1971 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| Hebert McCoy | August 10, 1971 | August 9, 1974 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| Hebert McCoy | August 9, 1974 | January 20, 1977 | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
| Jack Watson | January 20, 1977 | June 11, 1980 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
| Gene Eidenberg | June 11, 1980 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
| Rich Williamson | January 20, 1981 | May 17, 1983 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Lee Verstandig | May 24, 1983 | March 26, 1985 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Mitch Daniels | March 26, 1985 | October 1, 1985 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Deborah Steelman | October 17, 1985 | April 17, 1986 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Gwendolyn King | April 17, 1986 | May 2, 1988 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Andy Card | May 2, 1988 | September 21, 1988 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Karen Spencer | September 21, 1988 | January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Deb Anderson | January 20, 1989 | January 24, 1992 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Sherrie Rollins | January 24, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Regina Montoya | January 20, 1993 | August 7, 1993 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Marcia Hale | August 7, 1993 | May 16, 1997 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Mickey Ibarra | May 16, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Ruben Barrales | January 20, 2001 | December 28, 2006 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Maggie Grant | December 28, 2006 | January 4, 2008 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Janet Creighton | January 4, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Cecilia Muñoz | January 20, 2009 | January 10, 2012 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| David Agnew | January 10, 2012 | November 17, 2014 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| Jerry Abramson | November 17, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| Justin Clark | January 20, 2017 | March 18, 2018 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| Doug Hoelscher | March 18, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| Julie Rodriguez | January 20, 2021 | May 16, 2023 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| Vacant | May 16, 2023 | June 12, 2023 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| Tom Perez | June 12, 2023 | January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| Alex Meyer | January 20, 2025 | present | Donald Trump (2025–present) |

### 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.
| Name | Start | End | President |
| Ed Rollins | February 5, 1985 | October 1, 1985 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Mitch Daniels | October 1, 1985 | March 1, 1987 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Frank Donatelli | March 1, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |

### 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 | President |
| | Valerie Jarrett | January 20, 2009 | January 20, 2017 | | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |