Melissa "Mel" Winter (born November 16, 1967) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Democratic political aide who served as a senior advisor to

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

throughout the

presidency of Barack Obama Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican n ...

. Winter was born in Chicago but her family later moved to

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...

, where she attended

The Bishop's School The Bishop's School is an independent college preparatory Episcopal day school located in La Jolla, California. Bishop's is known for its reputation in academics, arts, and athletics as well as its sizable endowment. The school offers courses for ...

, graduating in 1985. After graduating from Skidmore College, she moved to Washington, D.C., and began an 18-year career on

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. She worked for then-

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Norman Mineta for seven years as a Staff Assistant and Executive Assistant before joining the staff of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Joe Lieberman. Winter was Senator Lieberman's Traveling Aide during his time as the Democratic candidate for Vice President in the 2000 election. She later served as Director of Scheduling for Lieberman's 2004 presidential campaign. In 2007, Winter was Mrs. Obama's first hire on the Obama presidential campaign. She served as a close aide to Mrs. Obama throughout the 2008 campaign. After the election, Winter was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady and was later promoted to Senior Advisor to the First Lady. Since leaving the White House, Winter continues to serve as Mrs. Obama's personal Chief of Staff.

References

1967 births Living people Obama administration personnel Politicians from Chicago People from La Jolla, San Diego Skidmore College alumni {{US-gov-bio-stub The Bishop's School alumni