As both Russo and Politics K-12 reported, Mary Ellen McGuire is apparently headed to the White House to work for the Domestic Policy Council on education. This has me a bit curious.
By way of background, DPC is the WH entity that both coordinates inter-agency activity on domestic policy issues and serves as the in-house policy shop for the president. Its staffers spend lots of time working with the various cabinet departments and working internally with other offices (the press shop, intergovernmental affairs, legislative affairs, etc.) to push the president's agenda.
DPC is generally a pretty small shop. It's led by the president's Domestic Policy Advisor who has the rank of "Assistant to the President," the highest rank in the WH. ????There's a Deputy Domestic Policy Advisor who has the rank of "Deputy Assistant to the President." Both typically have offices in the West Wing (rarified air).
Then there are a handful of "Special Assistants to the President," the third highest rank, but still a big deal (all three ranks are considered "commissioned officers"). Each is in charge of a set of issues, like transportation or housing or education. My understanding is that????Roberto Rodriguez is still the SAP for education. Under the SAPs are directors or associate directors who also work on specific issues.
I don't know Ms. McGuire personally, but she has a very strong resume,????the kind that you'd typically see for a SAP or above. But if the WH already has an education SAP, I'm not sure why she's coming on-board. Obviously she's talented and accomplished, but on the org chart, there's not a clear space. Apparently, her title will be "senior adviser." I don't know where that will fit in the food chain of the very title-conscious confines of the WH.
Does this suggest that the WH thinks it needs more/better coordination with the Department of Education? Does this say something about ARRA implementation--maybe they need someone internally to just focus on the education pieces of the stimulus? Does this mean that the WH is going to lead the NCLB reauthorization push?
Putting all????that????aside for the moment, I wish Mary Ellen well in her new position. Congratulations and very best of luck.