Obama Appoints White House Speechwriting and Intergovernmental Affairs Heads

Original Source

By Michael A. Fletcher

President-elect Barack Obama continued rounding out his White House staff today, naming Jonathan Favreau director of speechwriting and Cecilia Munoz director of intergovernmental affairs.

Favreau has worked for Obama since 2005, when he joined the president-elect’s Senate office as a speechwriter. He later served as director of speechwriting during the presidential campaign, building on his role as deputy director of speechwritng for the 2004 campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). At the White House, Favreau will oversee a team of writers who carefully craft words for the president’s many public appearances.

Munoz, meanwhile, will oversee the White House office responsible for relations between the administration and state and local governments. The 2000 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” winner is a senior vice president at the National Council of La Raza, a leading Hispanic civil rights group. There, she has spearheaded many of the organization’s immigration initiatives. Currently, she is in charge of the group’s entire advocacy and legislative agenda.

“We’re continuing to build a White House team that can rise to the challenges facing this country — and I couldn’t be more excited to announce Jon and Cecilia,” Obama said. “I’m confident that at a critical time in our history, this White House will restore openness and accountability to our executive branch and help to put government back in the hands of the people it serves.”