East Wing still searching for Executive Director for Let's Move! campaign...First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces campaign to support and honor military families is now under the charge of United States Navy Captain Brad Cooper, who has been named as Executive Director, a spokesman for the East Wing tells Obama Foodorama. The Captain has already gone to work at the White House, and the new hire comes as Mrs. Obama's team is in transition; Robin Schepper, the Executive Director for Mrs. Obama's Let's Move! campaign, stepped down in June, and no replacement has yet been named. Schepper served for less than a year; she joined Mrs. Obama in August of 2010. Her salary, interestingly, was not included in the annual White House Salary Report, recently released as part of the Administration's transparency efforts. (Above: Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden film a PSA for the Joining Forces campaign)Nor is Cooper's salary; he was hired after the time period the report covers. The Captain was raised in a military family and has had a 22-year career that included service in every Combatant Command theater of operation, according to the East Wing. He most recently served as Senior Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and his combat career included a tour on the ground in Afghanistan, as well as three tours working for senior leaders in the Department of Defense. He was previously skipper of the guided missile destroyer Russell.
The First Lady's two national campaigns each have many sub-components, and involve federal agencies as well as non-profit foundations, state agencies, grass roots citizen organizations at the state and local level, and partnerships with the private sector; the Executive Directors can be very, very busy. In recent months, the Let's Move! campaign has had two new components launched, including Let's Move Museums and Gardens, and Let's Move in Indian Country. In May, Mrs. Obama combined her two campaigns, as she introduced a special Let's Move! component for military families, which offers free gym memberships and the services of personal trainers.
"The entire team will be doing more during this transition time," Kristina Schake, the First Lady's Director of Communications, told Obama Foodorama when asked about filling the posts for both Executive Director positions.
Among other duties, Captain Cooper will be coordinating outreach, including events like the one Mrs. Obama attended on Tuesday evening in Washington, DC. The First Lady watched the Washington Nationals take on the Chicago Cubs at Nationals Park, during a game dedicated to honoring military families. Mrs. Obama joined Nats' second baseman Danny Espinosa on the pitcher's mound; Illya, 15, a military child, threw out the first pitch. Espinosa, Illya, and the other military kids all got hugs from Mrs. Obama. (Above: Mrs. Obama shakes hands with Illya as Espinosa looks on)From the East Wing: "Raised in a military family, and the father of two teenagers, Captain Cooper has experienced the challenges military families face with transitions, deployments and war. He has moved 27 times in his life, and has been deployed 10 times while on active duty – all with the support of his wife of 22 years, Susan, a speech-language pathologist and deeply devoted Navy spouse."
Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden launched Joining Forces in April of 2011. Mrs. Obama launched the Let's Move! campaign in February of 2010.
*Top photo by Chuck Kennedy/White House, shot on April 14, 2010 in the East Room; second by Reuters/pool
