appointee survival guide

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Bethany Kozma

Former Deputy Chief of Staff, USAID

Before joining the Trump administration in 2017, Kozma advocated against…transgender students. She has played a key role in advancing conservative causes globally, such as opposing references to sexual and reproductive health in United Nations documents.
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katie sullivan

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Katharine “Katie” Sullivan served as a state trial court Judge for 11 years prior to joining the Trump Administration at the Department of Justice.
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Matthew Mangiaracina

Former White House LiaisonUS Dept. of the Interior

He served as the Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and as White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Trump administration.

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Pam Pryor

Former Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, US Dept. of State

Ms. Pryor’s distinguished career before joining the Department of State included a key role on the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump leading his faith outreach initiative.

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Max Primorac

Former Acting Chief Operating Officer, USAID

Max Primorac is a Senior Research Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation. His key areas of specialization are global development, especially the adverse effects of China’s global expansion and climate policies, waste, fraud and abuse in U.S. foreign aid, complex global crises, and international religious freedom.

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Kristen Eichamer

Former Deputy Press SecretaryNASA

Kristen is an Advisor for Coalitions Communications at The Heritage Foundation.

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John Zadrozny

Former Deputy Assistant to the President, The White House Office

Zadrozny worked in the White House shop that reported to Miller, Trump’s virulently anti-immigration advisor who is considered the chief architect behind some of the administration’s most controversial policies. Miller advised Trump on his travel ban executive order and policy of separating parents and children trying to cross into the United States.

video highlights

Top Tips

  • Cabinet secretaries should have regular meetings with the President
  • Accurately communicate the President’s instructions to the team below you
  • Agency offices should work closely with their counterparts at the White House
    • Example: The White House Communications Office should utilize each agency’s public relations office to get messaging out
    • This avoids bureaucratic bloating at the White House with separates the agency principals from the President and his top aides
  • The agency, not the White House staff, has the legal authority to implement the President’s directives
    • The White House staff should provide top-level direction but the real work needs to be done at the agency level