(2010-0770-F) White House Fellows

The materials in FOIA 2010-0770-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. This collection is very closely related to FOIA 2010-0767-F and 2010-0769-F. Researchers should consult the archivist about related materials. Nancy Bekavac was long time president of Scripps College in Claremont, California. Bekavac was named Chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships in May 1993. She served eight years as a member of Commission. A classmate with Bill Clinton at Yale Law School—from which she graduated in 1973—Bekavac was raised in Clairton, Pennsylvania and received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College in 1969. After graduation she took a position with the law firm of Munger, Tolles and Rickershauser, now known as Munger, Tolles and Olson, ultimately rising to the level of partner. In 1985, she took a position as the Executive Director of the Thomas J. Watson Foundation. Following a brief tenure at the foundation, Bekavac became the sixth President of Scripps College, retiring in 2007. Marjorie Craig Benton is a well known and well respected philanthropist and advocate for women's and children's rights. Benton was named Chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships in April 1994. She served eight years on the as a member of the Commission. Benton received her undergraduate degree from the National College of Education. She was co-founder of the Peace Museum, the Women’s Issues Network, and the Chicago Foundation for Women, all based in Chicago. In the late 1970s, Benton served as a delegate to the United Nations which led to her receiving a number of awards for International and public service. Benton served on a number of commissions and board both National and Internationally. Her service with the United Nations led to an appointment as an Ambassador to UNICEF working on children's and women's rights. Most recently Benton served as a founding member of the board for Connect for Kids and the Advisory Board of the Loyola University Museum of Art. The White House Fellowship Program began in 1964, with the creation of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. Largely the idea of John Gardner, President of the Carnegie Corporation, the program was created by Executive Order 11183 signed by President Lyndon Johnson on October 3, 1964. Johnson’s order read, ―It is in the National interest that our future leaders in all walks of life have opportunities to observe firsthand the important and challenging tasks of American government. Gardner envisioned a program where men and women from the United States could serve at the highest levels of government. His hope was that they would then take their experience back to their communities and increase civic engagement on a local, state, and national level. Eleven to nineteen fellows are selected each year from over 1,000 applicants. These fellows serve for one year as full-time employees of the Federal Government; typically working within the Executive Branch. There is no requirement for age, education, or profession. However, no member of the Federal government may serve with the exception of career military. Through working within the executive branch these fellows have intimate contact with leaders at the highest levels of government and often travel with senior leaders of the administration. In 1994, the program celebrated its thirtieth year. During that thirty year period there had been over 400 White House Fellows. Many well respected and well known American leaders have participated in the White House Fellows Program. These include: Robert Haas, Dana Mead, Julia Taft, Henry Cisneros, Colin Powell, Dennis Blair, Mary Schiavo, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and a host of other business and government leaders. To date, the program has had more than 625 Fellows. The 2010-2011 class of thirteen was named by President Barack Obama on June 22, 2010. Records from the Staff and Office files and from White House Records Management contain correspondence between the President and Nancy Bekavac on issues related to White House Fellows. The records also contain files related to Bekavac and Marjorie Bentons’ appointments to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. A number of records have been previously opened in 2010- 0767-F. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) contains records responsive to this request. Responsive records from this collection primarily contains correspondence concerning White House Fellows Events and activities.