John Podesta

president, CEO, Ctr. for American Progress

John Podesta is the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress. Prior to founding the Center in 2003, Podesta served as White House Chief of Staff to President 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 and a senior policy advisor on government information, privacy, telecommunications security, and regulatory policy. Most recently, Podesta served as co-chair of President 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.