Fifth Grade
Worksheets
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is an important member of the president's advisory team. He or she is the highest ranking member of the president's executive office. This means that he or she oversees all other members of this office. The chief of staff's status is considered to be cabinet-level. (Cabinet-level officials attend cabinet meetings but are not official cabinet members. They do not require Senate approval.) The chief of staff is usually the president's top adviser and assistant. He or she serves as a senior aide to the president.
For the first 150 years, the person who held this job was called the "president's secretary." President Eisenhower changed the title to White House Chief of Staff. The duties of this position can change with each president. For example, President Kennedy did not have a chief of staff at all. President Carter did not have one until later in his presidency. Other presidents rely heavily on the chief of staff to give valuable advice.
The president has a very busy schedule. The chief of staff helps make sure that things run smoothly. It is a tough job. The average time that a person spends at this position is two and a half years. Some .....
