White House Staff Dana
Power Background Sheets |
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Dana Power Assistant to the President for Communications Dana Power was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, child the descendant of Italian immigrants and a father tracing his ancestry back to the pilgrims. Power's parents followed the Congregationalist faith, and Power, whose father was a United Church of Christ Minister, considered the pulpit. Power received a bachelor's degree from Columbia in 1982, earning disctinctions as a Truman Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in political science. Power's father had always wanted one of his children to become a lawyer, if not a preacher and Power considered Law School, initially taking a job with Congressman DiGiardino, and serving as an aide in Washington, D.C. On a second application Power was accepted for a Rhodes scholarship. While at Oxford, Power earned a master's degree in theology at Balliol College. Power was, along with George Stephanopoulos, and James Carville, a leading member of the 1992 Clinton campaign, later, serving was promoted to Senior Advisor on Policy and Strategy. After leaving the White House, Power became a political analyst for media giant CBC's Washington News, as a correspondent on the CBC Sunday talk program This Week, World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and various special broadcasts. In September 2002, Power became host of Washington Week. In December 2005, CBC News offically named Power Chief Washington Correspondent. Power returned to the White House at the request of Vice President Russo and the First Lady, with whom the Power family has a warm personal relationship, in the early days of the Kent White House. Power gets along well with Athey, but there is some friction between Power and O'Sullivan, with hallway accusations that Power is more loyal to the DNC than the President and is looking toward a Cabinet appointment or even Vice Presidency under Russo, after 2012. During the first few months of the administration Power often talked to the press directly leading Judith Kanheman to being seen as somewhat of a "pretender," however several missteps by Power, including his involvement in Corbin's PAFTA flap caused Kanheman to be brought more to the forefront. Power's "Washington
insider" contacts with the Press and News media friends clash with
O'Sullivan's grass roots campaigns which often circumvent the established
channels.
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Office
of the Press Secretary Interview with Mike McCurry about the Office of Communications |
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