Page 247 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

BECOMING A WHITE HOUSE FELLOW

2005, and she knows exactly what kind of person the interviewers are seek-
ing. “A good Fellow is ‘low maintenance.’ There’s a lot to be said by that,”
White explained. “We’re looking for people who are self-starters, who get
along, who are not going to get in fights in their placement, who are mature
enough to find their way and do well, who don’t need their hand held every
minute, and who aren’t likely to be miserable for the wrong reasons.”
In preparing for these interviews, regional finalists should develop a
clear, coherent statement about why they should be selected to be a White
House Fellow and both a thirty-second and a three-minute elevator pitch.
Furthermore, they should be fully prepared to discuss not only their pro-
fessions, achievements, and aspirations but also their understanding of and
opinions about current national and world events. On the basis of the results
of the regional interviews, the field will be narrowed to approximately thirty
to thirty-four national finalists, whose names are announced in April.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT SELECTION WEEKEND:
THE NATIONAL FINALS
Those selected as national finalists are flown in early June to the Washing-
ton, D.C., area for a three-day interview process called Selection Week-
end even though it’s sometimes held during the week. For many years this
retreat was held at Airlie Center, a lush estate outside Washington, but since
1996 it has taken place in Annapolis, Maryland, where the finalists are sub-
jected to two and a half days of highly competitive interviews conducted
by the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. The com-
missioners divide into panels, with each panel conducting formal individ-
ual interviews of each finalist. The Commission members also hold
informal discussions and group interviews with the candidates at sched-
uled coffee breaks, meals, and social hours during which the candidates are
always on display and constantly being watched and judged. Tom Johnson,
who served on the President’s Commission and helped select several classes
of Fellows, said, “This selection process is more intense than that for the
43
White House itself.” The weekend culminates in an intense closed-door
deliberation during which the commissioners select the coming year’s
White House Fellows.

43 Richard L. Williams, “Highest, Hardest Achievement for 15 High Achievers,” Smithsonian,
August 1978, pp. 38–47.

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