Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers to join publishing company

Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers, a friend of President Obama's from Chicago, has been named chief executive of Johnson Publishing.

March 4, 2010

White House social secretary Desir�e Rogers, left, attends the United Negro College Fund 66th anniversary dinner, where Johnson Publishing chief executive Linda Johnson Rice received UNCF's Lifetime Achievement Award. Rogers will succeed Rice as chief executive of the company, which owns Ebony magazine and other publications. Rice will remain as chairman.

Earl Gibson III-AP

June 18, 2009

Rogers speaks at the Creative Coalition annual membership meeting in New York.

David Goldman-AP

Jan. 11, 2010

Rogers attends the Eunice Johnson tribute luncheon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Andrew H. Walker-Getty Images

March 11, 2009

Rogers leans against a door frame in the East Room while President Obama signs an executive order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post

Feb. 16, 2009

American Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and Rogers attend the Donna Karan Collection Fall 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

Andrew H. Walker-Getty Images for IMG

April 13, 2009

President Obama walks with Rogers at the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.

Charles Dharapak-AP

March 19, 2009

Rogers stands behind the first lady at a celebration of Women's History Month. Her tenure as the top party and events planner for the administration was marred by the Salahi gate-crashing incident, in which a Virginia couple managed to enter the White House grounds during Obama's first State Dinner in November.

Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post

May 10, 2009

Rogers, with Jason Binn, center, of Niche Media and Valerie Jarrett, second from right, at the Capital File after-party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Aides have said Rogers had hoped the social secretary job would give her a broader platform from which to help manage arts policy.

Courtesy of MBKPhoto.co

May 9, 2009

Katie McCormick Lelyveld, Rogers, Valerie Jarrett and Linda Johnson at the Bloomberg and Vanity Fair cocktail reception after the White House Correspondents Dinner.

Billy Farrell-PatrickMcMullan.com

June 16, 2009

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, left, and Rogers chat during a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, where President Obama met with Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

Marvin Joseph-The Washington Post

June 18, 2009

Rogers speaks with actress Dana Delaney at the ninth annual Michael Z. Bennahum Forum by the Creative Coalition at HBO Terrace in New York.

Stephen Lovekin-Getty Images

Nov. 24, 2009

Rogers watches as guests enter the East Room during President Obama's state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife. The arrival of publicity-seeking gate crashers at the dinner was the final blow in a rocky tenure for Rogers.

Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post

Nov. 24, 2009

First lady Michelle Obama hosts young women from the White House Leadership and Mentoring Program for a presentation on the history and protocol surrounding state and official visits in honor of the first state dinner for Prime Minister Singh of India. Rogers and White House curator William Allman stand to the left of the podium.

Marvin Joseph-The Washington Post

Nov. 24, 2009

Rogers walks past guests arriving at the White House for the state dinner.

Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post

Nov. 24, 2009

Rogers arrives for the State Dinner hosted by President Obama for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House. According to one official, the gate-crashing episode proved decisive for her tenure.

Gerald Herbert-AP

Dec. 4, 2009

"Once the state dinner deal went down," said the official, "people who had other political agendas started micromanaging every part of her business."

Larry Downing-Reuters

Feb. 25, 2010

Rogers helps Marion Wiesel, wife of Elie Wiesel, to her seat at an awards ceremony for the 2009 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal. "We are enormously grateful ... for the terrific job she's done as the White House Social Secretary," the president and first lady said in a statement.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais-AP

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This Story Julianna Smoot brings an insider's perspective to Obamas' inner circle Article \| With the departure of Desirée Rogers as White House social secretary comes further proof of President Obama's favorite maxim these days: Change is difficult. Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers to join publishing company This Story High-profile White House social secretary steps aside Article \| White House social secretary Desirée Rogers, whose tenure was marred in November by a highly embarrassing gate-crashing of the administration's first state dinner, will leave her job to return to the private sector, the White House said Friday. Her resignation marks the first fraying of the tight... Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers to join publishing company Voices of Power: Desiree Rogers, Obama's White House CEO Complete coverage: The Obamas' first state dinner		Network News X Profile View More Activity TOOLBOX E-Mail This Reprints		More on washingtonpost.com • More Photo News » washingtonpost.com
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Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers to join publishing company

Former White House social secretary Desirée Rogers, a friend of President Obama's from Chicago, has been named chief executive of Johnson Publishing.

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