Susan Sher New First Lady Chief of Staff

Update Nov. 16 2010: Susan Sher says goodbye.

Obama brought Susan Sher (left) on board as legal counsel in Jan. Now she's replacing Jackie Norris (right) as Michelle Obama's chief of staff. Norris has a new gig.

WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES EAST WING STAFF CHANGES

Jackie Norris to Senior Advisor to Corporation for National and Community Service, Susan Sher to Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama

WASHINGTON, DC - The White House announced today that the First Lady's Chief of Staff Jackie Norris has been appointed as Senior Advisor to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Susan Sher, a longtime colleague and friend of the First Lady's, has been promoted to Chief of Staff. The First Lady, Mrs. Norris and Ms. Sher all released statements on the moves, included below:

Statement from Mrs. Obama:

Jackie Norris has been a colleague and friend since the earliest days of the Iowa campaign. She has built a strong organization in the East Wing and made tremendous progress on issues that are important to me and the President, particularly in the area of national service. In assuming the role as Senior Advisor to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Jackie will work closely with my office and the Administration as we move forward to implement the new Serve America Act and we will continue to count on Jackie's leadership and passion for this cause.

Susan Sher is a trusted advisor, longtime mentor and friend dating back to my work at the City of Chicago and later the University of Chicago. Since the beginning of this Administration, Susan has served as a senior member of the East Wing and West Wing teams providing legal counsel, working as a member of the health care reform task force and leading Jewish outreach, and her transition to chief of staff will be seamless.

Statement from Jackie Norris:

I am grateful to President and Mrs. Obama for the opportunities and friendship they have given me over the last few years and I am looking forward to becoming an integral part of this Administration's efforts to advance the cause of national and community service.

Statement from Susan Sher:

Mrs. Obama and I have worked together for many years on issues that we both care deeply about and I appreciate the opportunity to be of greater service to her and this Administration.

Obama Picks Susan Sher as Associate Counsel

Susan Sher was the first woman to head Chicago's law department. Mayor Daley appointed her in 1993.

Swamp: Barack Obama is taking another Chicagoan with him to the White House and this one happens to be his wife's former boss.

A transition aide said this afternoon that Susan Sher will be named associate counsel to the president. Sher is now a vice president for legal and government affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she is also general counsel.

The aide said Sher's duties will include providing legal advice to future First Lady Michelle Obama and working on legal issues associated with health care policy.

Michelle Obama had been on unpaid leave of absence at the medical center for all of 2008 as she helped her husband campaign for the presidency. She had worked there as a vice president for community and external affairs.

A little bit about Sher from Obama's transition site:

Sher will be Associate Counsel to the President. Her duties will include providing legal advice to the First Lady and working on legal issues associated with health care policy. Sher is currently the Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel of the University of Chicago Medical Center and is responsible for all legal, government, regulatory, and community affairs at the Medical Center. She also works on governance and many other Board related issues. From 1993 through 1997 she was the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, the City of Chicago's chief lawyer, reporting to the Mayor and responsible for representing the Mayor, city departments, boards, and commissions on all legal matters. She was the first Assistant Corporation Counsel from 1989-1993. Previously she was Associate General Counsel of the University of Chicago, and earlier, was a partner at Mayer Brown & Platt, specializing in Labor and Litigation. She is a cum laude graduate of Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. She is currently on the following Boards of Directors: Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Sinai Hospital Medical Center & Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital & Care Network; the Board of Directors of High Jump; the Board of Directors of YWCA of Greater Chicago. She is Past Chair of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and of The Chicago Network. She is on a variety of task forces and committees involving not-for-profit corporations and healthcare, including the Illinois Hospital Association, the Attorney General's Charitable Advisory Task Force and the Donor's Public Trust Task Force.