:Maggie Williams

Williams was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She attended high school at Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College (Washington D.C.) in 1977, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.trinitydc.edu/magazine-2009/commencement-address|title=Maggie Williams, Commencement Address|publisher=Trinity College|date=Summer 2009|accessdate=2011-02-10}} Williams also received a master's degree from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.{{cite web|title=Alumna Maggie Williams Receives Woman of Distinction Honor|url=https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/alumna-maggie-williams-receives-woman-distinction-honor|publisher=University of Pennsylvania|accessdate=January 23, 2018}}

Williams was an aide to Representative Morris K. Udall, Democrat of Arizona from 1977 to 1978, Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee in 1979, manager of the Press office of the D.N.C. convention in 1980, campaign press secretary for Representative Robert G. Torricelli, Democrat of New Jersey in 1982.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

She was director of media relations for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in 1983, a member of the convention staff of the D.N.C. in 1984 and communications director for the Children's Defense Fund, 1984–1990.{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_19_98/ai_66762765|title=Maggie Williams, Ex-Chief Of Staff For Hillary Clinton, To Head Firm In D.C.|publisher=Jet Magazine|date=2000-10-16|accessdate=2008-02-10}}

While at the Children's Defense Fund she met, and became friends with then First Lady of Arkansas Hillary Clinton. She served as Clinton's transition director in 1992 and as her chief of staff during her first term as First Lady of the United States (1993–1997), the first African American woman to hold that position and the first Chief of Staff to the First Lady who also served as an Assistant to the President.{{Cn|date=November 2024}}

As stated in Taylor Branch's [https://archive.org/details/clintontapeswres00bran The Clinton Tapes], in 1994, President Clinton turned to Williams "to compile confidential suggestions" on personnel shifts ... According to Branch, "When I asked how unusual it was for the first lady's office to be involved, he replied there was no easy blueprint for reorganizing the organizers. Williams was shrewd, discreet, and efficient."{{cite book|last=Branch|first=Taylor|title=The Clinton tapes : wrestling history with the president|year=2009|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York, N.Y.|isbn=978-1-4165-4333-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/clintontapeswres00bran/page/160 160–161]|edition=1st Simon & Schuster hardcover|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/clintontapeswres00bran/page/160}}

In a profile in Essence Magazine Ana Perez, who during George Bush's administration was the first Black person to serve as a press secretary to a First Lady said of Williams: "I am in awe of her...I have so much respect for her because she has this absolutely calm center and because she is a good and decent person. She's a do-gooder in every sense of the word."Vanessa J. Gallman, Women Who Make A Difference; Maggie Williams, Essence (October 1993) She has been described as having "very good judgment on issues and people" by Leon Panetta."Pal Runs to Clinton's Rescue", McClatchy, February 16, 2008.

On the night of the death of deputy White House counsel Vince Foster in 1993, a Secret Service agent claimed he saw Williams remove two handfuls of folders from his office, which she vehemently denied.{{cite web|url=http://michaelgraham.com/hillarys-bag-man-er-person-takes-the-helm-at-the-iop|title=News Radio 106.7 - The Michael Graham Show|publisher=Michaelgraham.com|accessdate=October 19, 2014}}

After leaving the White House, Williams served as the President of Fenton Communications. In this position, she became the highest ranked black woman in an American top-50 public relations firm.{{cite news|url=http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/Fellows-Study-Groups/Former-Fellows/Maggie_Williams|title=Maggie Williams, Former Fellow|publisher=Harvard University Institute of Politics|accessdate=2011-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612021900/http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/Fellows-Study-Groups/Former-Fellows/Maggie_Williams|archive-date=2011-06-12|url-status=dead}} Previously, Williams served as a communications consultant in Paris.

President Bill Clinton asked Williams to be his chief of staff at the Clinton Foundation.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-02-15-clinton-cover_x.htm|title=Clinton Busy Writing Own Job Description|author=Martha T. Moore|publisher=USA Today|date=2004-02-15|accessdate=2011-06-17}}

In June 2014, she was named Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Williams became the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign after being brought on as a senior adviser following Clinton's win in the New Hampshire primary in January 2008. On February 10, 2008, she replaced Patti Solis Doyle as the campaign's manager.{{cite news|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gbXwiTaCV0pYMVmNbwvHk3ESG0agD8UNNUT80|title=Clinton replaces campaign manager|author=Beth Fouhy|publisher=Associated Press|date=2008-02-10|accessdate=2008-02-10|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213190253/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gbXwiTaCV0pYMVmNbwvHk3ESG0agD8UNNUT80|archivedate=February 13, 2008}} and infused Clinton's campaign "with a sense of purpose" according to staffers.Early mistakes couldn’t be fixed, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 4, 2008. In this capacity she defended the Clinton campaign's decision to circulate pictures of rival candidate Barack Obama wearing traditional Somali clothing, stating, "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed." Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, described this episode as "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/25/barackobama.hillaryclinton|title=Clinton aides claim Obama photo wasn't intended as a smear|author=Ewen MacAskill|work=The Guardian|date=2008-02-25|accessdate=2020-01-22|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901181823/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/25/barackobama.hillaryclinton|archivedate=September 1, 2013}}

In their book, The Battle for America: The Story of an Extraordinary Election, Haynes Johnson and Dan Balz wrote that with Williams in charge the campaign was more collegial and operated with greater efficiency.{{cite book|title=The Battle for America: The Story of an Extraordinary Election|year=2009|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=978-0-14-311770-4|author=Dan Balz|author2=Haynes Johnson|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/battleforamerica0000balz}}

During Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, Williams served on the team planning for a potential presidential transition.{{cite news|last1=Karni|first1=Annie|title=Salazar to lead Clinton's transition team|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/clinton-transition-team-white-house-salazar-227044|accessdate=October 20, 2016|work=Politico|date=August 16, 2016}}

In addition to her consulting business, Williams is a director of the Scholastic Publishing Corporation,{{cite news|url=http://investor.scholastic.com/committees.cfm|title=Scholastic Committee Composition|publisher=Scholastic|accessdate=2011-05-29}} the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). She is a trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design{{cite web|url=http://www.risd.edu/About/History_Mission_Governance/Leadership/|title=Leadership - History, Mission + Governance|publisher=Risd.edu|accessdate=19 October 2014}} and a US Commissioner for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). From 2000 to 2007, Williams also served as director at Delta Financial Corporation, a mortgage lender that filed for bankruptcy in December 2007.{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/elections/ny-ushill0330,0,1290059.story|title=Clinton campaign head made $200,000 with subprime lender|author=Glenn Thrush|publisher=Newsday|date=2008-03-29|accessdate=2008-03-31}}

She serves on the Advisory Boards of the Eli J. Segal Citizenship Program at Brandeis University and the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.{{cite news|url=http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/Fellows-Study-Groups/Former-Fellows/Maggie_Williams|title=Maggie Williams, Former Fellow|publisher=Harvard University Institute of Politics|accessdate=2011-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612021900/http://www.iop.harvard.edu/Programs/Fellows-Study-Groups/Former-Fellows/Maggie_Williams|archive-date=2011-06-12|url-status=dead}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite news |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200802u/patti-solis-doyle |title= Inside the Clinton Shake-Up|first=Joshua|last=Green|date=February 2008|work=The Atlantic|accessdate=2008-09-01}}
• {{cite news|first=Joshua|last=Green|title= The Front-Runner's Fall|date=September 2008|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200809/hillary-clinton-campaign|work=The Atlantic|accessdate=2008-09-01}}
• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/08/AR2008010803378.html Williams Is Assistant to Both the Clintons] Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, August 5, 1994.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080215084027/http://www.iop.harvard.edu/about_senior_advisory_committee_williams.html IOP Biography], harvard.edu; accessed 1 September 2017.

• Kuskowski, Joe. [http://www.answers.com/topic/maggie-williams Black Biography: Maggie Williams], Answers.com; accessed 1 September 2017.
• {{C-SPAN|34742}}

{{Chiefs of Staff to the First Lady of the United States}}

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Category:1954 births

Category:American campaign managers

Category:American political consultants

Category:Hillary Clinton 2008 presidential campaign

Category:Harvard Kennedy School staff

Category:Living people

Category:Missouri Democrats

Category:People associated with the 2008 United States presidential election

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Category:Trinity Washington University alumni

Category:Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania alumni

Category:Women in Missouri politics

Category:20th-century African-American women

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Category:21st-century African-American people

Category:Chiefs of staff to the first lady of the United States