WHITE HOUSE PROJECT INTERVIEW

Changing of the Guard at the White House “Power and people and opportunities shape how people behave: particularly opportunity. What happens in this country to women is shaped by opportunity as they age.” –Marie Wilson After 13 years, the reins have been handed over at the White House Project and Tiffany Dufu could not be more perfect for the position. Marie Wilson, former President and Founder of The White House Project and new President Tiffany Dufu sat down with RBRW’s Jacquelyn Aluotto for an exclusive interview covering important issues from the very beginnings of what is a most extraordinary organization, the change over in leadership and the future direction of the White House Project. In the beginning… Promoting opportunity for women and their skills in leadership and resilience was something that Wilson had already been a part of prior to beginning the White House Project. For over twenty years she has been associated with organizations such as Miss Foundation for Women and Take your Daughters to Work. She founded the White House Project in 1998 when after a time of change in policy and reform in areas of health care and small businesses there was still much opposition from County Supervisors who kept saying ‘No’ to anything ‘women’ related. In a moment of enlightenment and as result of numerous letters from girls and women saying that they wanted to be president one day, she had made up her mind: ‘For God’s sakes, why don’t we get these women in power? We needed people to say ‘Yes’ to each other.’ And so the White House Project began. The White House Project is an organization that essentially enhances public perception of leadership in the areas of politics and business. It has changed how women’s leadership in America is talked about by thinking outside the box and using popular culture, media and research to reach countless Americans all across the country.