Chris Whipple Lecture—The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency

Award-winning journalist and producer Chris Whipple will give a behind-the-scenes look at the White House chiefs of staff, whose actions—and inactions—have defined the course of our country. Whipple will revise our understanding of presidential history and offer an essential portrait of the toughest job in Washington.

The chiefs of staff, often referred to as “the gatekeepers,” wield tremendous power in Washington and beyond; they decide who is allowed to see the president, negotiate with Congress to push POTUS’s agenda, and—most crucially—enjoy unparalleled access to the leader of the free world. Each chief can make or break an administration, and each president reveals himself by the chief he picks.

Chris Whipple is an acclaimed writer, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and speaker. A multiple Peabody and Emmy Award-winning producer at CBS’s 60 Minutes and ABC’s Primetime, he is the chief executive officer of CCWHIP Productions. Most recently, he was the executive producer and writer of Showtime’s The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs.