White House Author
Tina Tchen
Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Tina Tchen is an Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Michelle Obama. Within the Obama Administration she also serves as the Executive Director for the Council on Women and Girls and the past Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Tchen was previously a partner in corporate litigation at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. In that capacity, Tchen represented public agencies in state and federal class actions, including the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Public Aid, and the Chicago Housing Authority. Tchen is the recipient of many awards, including the Leadership Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (1999); "Women of Achievement" award from the Anti-Defamation League (1996); and Chicago Lawyer "Person of the Year" (1994).