# White House Cabinet Secretary

The White House cabinet secretary is a high-ranking position within the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The White House cabinet secretary is the head of the Office of Cabinet Affairs (OCA) within the White House Office and the primary liaison between the president of the United States and the Cabinet departments and agencies. The position is usually held by a White House commissioned officer, traditionally either a deputy assistant to the president or an assistant to the president.
According to the White House website, the cabinet secretary helps "to coordinate policy and communications strategy" and plays "a critical role in managing the flow of information between the White House and the federal departments and in representing the interests of the Cabinet to the White House."
The White House cabinet secretary is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the president; the position does not require Senate confirmation. The White House cabinet secretary is among the twenty-two highest paid positions in the White House.

## Current Appointees

* Special Assistant to the President and Director of Cabinet Affairs: Lea Bardon
** Associate Director of Policy: Thomas Bradbury
** Associate Director for Agency Outreach: Cami Connor

## List of cabinet secretaries

| Name | Start | End | President |
| Max Rabb | October 1953 | May 19, 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| Bob Gray | May 19, 1958 | January 20, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| Fred Dutton | January 20, 1961 | December 4, 1961 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| Unknown | December 4, 1961 | November 22, 1963 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| Horace Busby | November 22, 1963 | September 15, 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| Unknown | September 15, 1965 | March 31, 1966 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| Bob Kintner | March 31, 1966 | June 14, 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| Unknown | June 14, 1967 | January 20, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| John Whitaker | January 20, 1969 | November 4, 1969 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| Alexander Butterfield Acting | November 4, 1969 | August 9, 1974 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| Warren Rustand | August 9, 1974 | January 5, 1975 | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
| Jim Connor | January 5, 1975 | 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) |
| Craig Fuller | September 14, 1981 | January 30, 1985 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Alfred Kingon | January 30, 1985 | February 18, 1987 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Nancy Risque | February 18, 1987 | January 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| Phillip Brady | January 20, 1989 | June 26, 1989 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Steve Danzansky | June 26, 1989 | April 20, 1991 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Gary Blumenthal | June 10, 1991 | September 10, 1992 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Daniel Casse | September 10, 1992 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| Christine Varney | January 20, 1993 | October 14, 1994 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Kitty Higgins | January 26, 1995 | February 7, 1997 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Thurgood Marshall Jr. | February 7, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| Albert Hawkins | January 20, 2001 | January 2003 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Brian Montgomery | January 2003 | February 24, 2005 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Heidi Smith | February 24, 2005 | 2006 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Neal Burnham Acting | 2006 | August 9, 2006 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Ross Kyle | August 9, 2006 Acting: August 9, 2006 – November 3, 2006 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| Chris Lu | January 20, 2009 | January 25, 2013 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| Danielle Gray | January 25, 2013 | January 13, 2014 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| Broderick Johnson | January 13, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| Bill McGinley | January 20, 2017 | July 19, 2019 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| Matthew Flynn Acting | July 19, 2019 | September 24, 2019 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| Kristan King Nevins | September 24, 2019 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| Evan Ryan | January 20, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| Lea Bardon | January 20, 2025 | present | Donald Trump (2025–present) |