Michelle Obama's confidant-in-chief: Susan Sher

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Michelle Obama's confidant-in-chief: Susan Sher

Chicagoan, longtime friend Susan Sher takes over in White House as guardian of Michelle Obama's political agenda, image

By Mike Dorning | Washington Bureau
July 20, 2009

Meeting with the First Lady

First Lady Michelle Obama has a meeting with Susan Sher, her chief of staff, in the Map Room of the White House in Washington. (White House photo by Samantha Appleton / June 25, 2009)


WASHINGTON - -- When Michelle Obama decided to leave her job at a corporate law firm, her first stop at City Hall was the office of Susan Sher, then the City of Chicago's second-ranking lawyer.

Sher was so taken with the young lawyer that she hand-delivered Obama's résumé to the mayor's deputy chief of staff, Valerie Jarrett. "She's really impressive," Sher told Jarrett. "You should meet her."

Obama soon had an offer in hand. So began an enduring professional and personal relationship in which Sher, 61 and the first lady's new chief of staff, has played patron, mentor, friend and adviser.

Sher would again be instrumental in hiring Obama at University of Chicago Medical Center, where Sher was general counsel and Obama worked directly for her as a vice president for community affairs.

Last month, in one of the few high-level personnel shifts in the Obama administration, the first lady brought in Sher to replace Jackie Norris as her chief of staff, putting Sher in charge of the agenda and public image of one of the world's most prominent personalities.

In so doing, Obama keeps her political fate in the hands of a longtime confidant. Over the years, the two spent countless lunches hashing out the intricacies of urban political constituencies -- as well as family life.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-michelle-obama-friend-20-jul20,0,2036406.story?page=1