Page 235 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE LESSONS

industry—flourished. He was able to lure back nearly all those who had
abandoned ship before his arrival, and it was at his insistence that research
was conducted to look into the health benefits of wine consumption. He
pushed for a code of advertising standards that prohibits the use of celebri-
ties in advertising as a way to cut down on underage drinking. De Luca
created an export office that greatly expanded American wine exports.
When it gave De Luca its 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award, Wine Enthu-
siast called him “a quiet but effective ambassador for wine” and praised his
ability to keep “a low profile, opting for the role of diplomatic insider.” 42
“I have not shied away from the responsibilities entrusted to me in the
forty years since my White House Fellows experience, but the emphasis on
creating a network of colleagues and leading through the commanding
heights of expertise and not title of office has brought gratifying personal
and professional rewards to me,” De Luca said. “You are accepted based
upon your own knowledge and your own ability to help rather than
anything that emanates just from the office itself.”
The ability to help undoubtedly was what caused Arthur “Gene”
Dewey (WHF 68–69) to be propelled from his post as an assistant to a
high-ranking military officer into a White House Fellowship at the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID). A graduate of West Point
and Princeton, Dewey already had done a tour in Vietnam and had
completed Commander General Staff School before being sent to the
Pentagon, where he ended up as an aide to four-star General Frank Besson,
Jr. “General Besson was an extraordinary person. He was about fifteen years
ahead of the rest of the Army,” Dewey said. “It was such a privilege to work
closely with someone like that because he just cut through the bureaucracy
in a way which ultimately prepared me for the White House Fellows
program. I think that’s the key to getting things done in the government.
You have to know how to get over or through or around the bureaucracy
to get things done.”
Dewey wanted to create a game plan for his Fellowship year, but
without knowing what the job would entail, it was difficult to come up
with a detailed plan. Instead, he decided to take a general approach and

42 Steve Heimoff, “John De Luca, a Quiet but Effective Ambassador for Wine,” Wine
Enthusiast, December 15, 2004, p. 56.

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