John Podesta
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John D. Podesta (b. 1949) was the fourth and final White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton from 1998 until 2001. After President Clinton left office, Podesta founded and is currently President of the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C. In addition to his work at American Progress, Podesta is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, where he has taught classes on Congressional investigations, and technology law and policy.
Before becoming President Clinton's Chief of Staff, Podesta served as both an Assistant to the President and as Deputy Chief of Staff. Earlier, from January 1993 to 1995, he was Assistant to the President, Staff Secretary and a senior policy adviser on government information, privacy, telecommunications security and regulatory policy.
Podesta has held a number of positions on Capitol Hill including: Counselor to Democratic Leader Senator Thomas A. Daschle (1995-1996); Chief Counsel for the Senate Agriculture Committee (1987-1988); Chief Minority Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks; Security and Terrorism; and Regulatory Reform; and Counsel on the Majority Staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee (1979-1981). In addition, in 1988, Podesta founded with his brother Tony, Podesta Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C. government relations and public affairs firm.
A Chicago native, Podesta worked as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice's Honors Program in the Land and Natural Resources Division (1976-1977), and as a Special Assistant to the Director of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency, (1978-1979). He has served as a member of the Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, and the United States Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy.
Podesta is a 1976 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, and a 1971 graduate of Knox College.
| Preceded by: Erskine Bowles | White House Chief of Staff | Succeeded by: Andrew Card |