Washington, D.C. — Today, in response to the announcement that John Podesta, Chair and Founder of the Center for American Progress, will be stepping down from his role at CAP to join the Obama administration as counselor to the president, CAP President Neera Tanden issued the following statement:
As the Center for American Progress’s founder and first president, John Podesta has helped to build an institution that has put forward ideas to solve the country’s greatest challenges, from health care to ending the war in Iraq to fighting inequality to climate change. These ideas, among others, bear the marks of his brilliant strategic mind, insightful policy understanding and core progressive values. We know that the president and the country will benefit tremendously from John’s wisdom and counsel. We at CAP will miss his guidance as our Chair, and are grateful for his friendship and for all he has done for the progressive cause.
Prior to founding the Center, Podesta served as White House chief of staff to President William J. Clinton. He served in the president’s cabinet and as a principal on the National Security Council. While in the White House, he also served as both an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, as well as staff secretary.
Podesta also served as co-chair of President Barack Obama’s transition, where he coordinated the priorities of the incoming administration’s agenda, oversaw the development of its policies, and spearheaded its appointments of major cabinet secretaries and political appointees. Additionally, Podesta currently serves on the U.N. Secretary General’s High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
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