Page 245 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

BECOMING A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

decision memorandums to President George H. W. Bush through her prin-
cipal Roger Porter (WHF 74–75). Porter served his Fellowship year as exec-
utive secretary of President Ford’s Economic Policy Board, writing
hundreds of memorandums on agenda items for the daily cabinet-level
meetings. Another question asks candidates to describe—in 300 words or
less—their life’s ambition! Clear and concise responses and essays free of
spelling and grammatical errors are expected of all candidates who want
to work as a White House Fellow at the highest levels of the executive
branch.
Last but not least is the Administrative Data section. This is the stan-
dard nuts-and-bolts part of the packet, with spaces for name, address, cit-
izenship, and date of birth. There are also questions about military service,
misconduct, and criminal history as well as inquiries about federal debt
and child support delinquency. This section is completed online, and the
Qualification Narratives are uploaded immediately afterward. The Letters
of Recommendation are mailed separately by their writers.

NARROWING THE FIELD: THE REGIONAL FINALS
Applications that meet the deadline are processed at the White House Fel-
lows Office, where the staff ensures that the applicants meet the program’s
prerequisites, to which there are no exceptions: They must be U.S. citi-
zens, not be civilian employees of the federal government, have earned at
least an undergraduate degree, and be well established in their professions.
There are no longer any age restrictions, but the program was designed to
provide hands-on government experience to Fellows early in their careers,
and the selection process generally adheres to that aim. Each complete
application is read by at least three former Fellows, including at least one
in the same professional field as the applicant. Those readers score each
application, with high marks for those who hold the most promise on the
basis of early professional achievement, demonstrated leadership, commit-
ment to public service, and evidence of being able to work well with oth-
ers. Approximately 120 regional finalists are chosen for further scrutiny.
Those candidates are invited to an interview at one of ten regional panels
held each March and April in cities across the nation. The regional panels
are made up of distinguished citizens from each city, and to protect them
from lobbying attempts, their names are kept confidential until the day the
regional finalists arrive for their day and a half of interviews.

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