 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 3, 1964 |
| Headquarters | 712 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | White House Office |
| Website | www |
The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan fellowship established via Executive Order 11183 by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of USA's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, offering exceptional US Citizens first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. The fellowship was founded based upon a suggestion from John W. Gardner, then the president of Carnegie Corporation and later the sixth secretary of health, education, and welfare.
White House Fellows spend a year working as a full-time, paid special assistant or advisor to senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries, the Vice President, or the head of an independent Executive Branch agency. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with leaders from the private and public sectors. These roundtables are augmented through observation of policy in action, including domestic and international engagements with foreign dignitaries, industry executives, elected officials, and civil servants.
The selection process to become a White House Fellow is very competitive, with fellowships awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis. Each year after the application period closes, the staff of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships (PCWHF) processes the applications and former fellows screen the applications to identify approximately one hundred of the most promising candidates. These selected individuals are then interviewed by several regional panels, which are composed of prominent local citizens. Based on the results of these interviews, the regional panelists and the director of the PCWHF select approximately thirty candidates to proceed as national finalists. The PCWHF will then interview these finalists, recommending between 11 and 19 of them to the president for a one-year appointment through the White House Office. The program can receive more than 2,000 applicants per year, with a selection rate often of 1% or less.[1][2][3][4] Selected civilians serve as Schedule A presidential appointees,[5] while military members will be assigned to duty at the PCWHF at 712 Jackson Place, Washington, D.C.[6][7]
Once fellows complete their year of service, they join hundreds of other fellows as alumni of the program. The White House Fellows Foundation and Association is the organization that represents the White House Fellows alumni efforts, leadership events and fundraising activities.[not verified in body]
- ^ "H3806 Congressional Record — House" (PDF). www.congress.gov. June 8, 2004. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ "E1098 Congressional Record — Extensions of Remarks" (PDF). www.congress.gov. May 26, 1999. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ "Appointment of the 1991–1992 White House Fellows" (PDF). Administration of George Bush, 1991 / June 4. June 4, 1991. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
- ^ Carter, James (June 1, 1978). "White House Fellows Appointment of 15 Fellows for the 1978-79 Program". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
- ^ "Which types of political appointments are subject to OPM's pre-hiring approval? - OPM.gov". U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ "Texas Army National Guard FY20 Broadening Opportunities Program Announcement" (PDF). September 6, 2019.
- ^ "Broadening Opportunity Program Catalog Fiscal Year 2025" (PDF). U.S. Army Human Resources Command. May 31, 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-09.