Desirée Rogers

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Desirée Rogers
27th White House Social Secretary
In office
January 20, 2009 – February 26, 2010
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byAmy Zantzinger
Succeeded byJulianna Smoot
Personal details
Born
Desirée Glapion

(1959-06-16) June 16, 1959 (age 64)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1988; div. 2000)
Children1
EducationWellesley College (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)

Desirée Glapion Rogers (born June 16, 1959) is an American corporate executive, former

chief executive officer of Johnson Publishing Company (JPC). As of 2019, Rogers is the CEO of Black Opal, a cosmetics company.[1]

Early life and education

Rogers was born on June 16, 1959, in New Orleans, Louisiana[2] to late Roy Glapion and his wife Joyce. She is a descendant of Creole voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.[3]

Rogers graduated from

the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans in 1977.[4] She earned a Bachelor's degree in political science from Wellesley College in 1981[5][6] and got her MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985.[7]

Career

Prior to the White House

Rogers began her career with

Governor Jim Edgar, to run the Illinois State Lottery,[8] a $2 billion state agency. She led the agency until 1997. During her tenure, Rogers worked extensively with over 8000 retailers to increase the sale of instant ticket products from 300 million to over 600 million.[7] Rogers attended the 1992 Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate.[9]

In 1997, Rogers was the vice-president of corporate communications for

WPS Resources Corporation in July 2006. The merged companies became the Integrys Energy Group in the first quarter of 2007. Rogers initially stayed on as President of Peoples Energy, the gas subsidiaries of the new holding company.[16]

In July 2008, Rogers joined Allstate Financial, a business unit of

US$100,000.[18]

Roger's previous year's income, in a 2009 report, was a $350,000 salary from Allstate Financial, as well as $150,000 in board fees from Equity Residential, a real estate investment trust in which she also held at least $250,000 in stock. She also collected $20,000 in board fees from Blue Cross. Other assets reported in her checking account, stock investments, and mutual funds totaled at least $2 million.[19]

At the White House

As the White House Social Secretary for President Obama, Rogers was responsible for executing the Obamas' vision of opening the White House to a wider circle of people and making it 'the people's house'.[20][21] She organized 365 events in her tenure and was recognized for organizing lively get-togethers,[22] particularly with artists and musicians.[20] Rogers aspired to modernize the art collection in the White House Presidential mansion by adding ethnic art.[23] She got recognition for her sense of fashion and style brought to the position.[24]

White House gatecrash incident

Students from L'Academie de Cuisine, White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, First Lady Michelle Obama, and White House pastry chef Bill Yosses.