“You don’t have to decide what you’re going to be. It’s about the quality of your life. You have to love what you do, and you have to make some decisions and figure it out. Everyone has the same fears. Do what you’re good at and what you enjoy.”
Melissa Winter ’89
- Current Job
Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama at Michelle Obama - At Skidmore
Art History Major | French Minor | Admissions tour guide | Women's Softball - Internships
Two summer internships in Washington, D.C., both with Rep. John Bryant (D - TX)
About Melissa
Melissa has been Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama since Jan. 2017. Before
that she served as Deputy Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama for eight
years. After moving to Washington, D.C., right after her Skidmore graduation in
spring 1989, she got her professional start as a receptionist and then was
promoted to executive assistant for Rep. Norman Y. Mineta (D – CA) before
spending 10 years working for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman.
It was
during a 2007 meeting in the Chicago living room of Barack and Michelle Obama,
that Melissa’s career path took a serendipitous turn. She recalled being
awestruck by Michelle, who told Winter, “I think my husband would be a great
president. But I’m not sure if the
country is ready for him.” Michelle was both practical and protective of
her family, Winter recounted, and so the Skidmore alumna followed her instincts
and went to work for the Obamas.
This Scope Magazine 2009
article captures Melissa’s
first couple of years working with the Obamas. This 2017 scope Magazine article captures her experience
in the last year of the Obama presidency.
Winter speaks fondly
about her Skidmore experience and her decision to pursue art history, saying it
was important to her that she study something she enjoyed. She graduated from
Skidmore “prepared,” she said, with two summers of internships under her belt,
common-sense knowledge, a new set of social skills, and a strong sense of self-reliance.
“Skidmore sent me off
into the world in the best possible way,” Winter said. “I left campus happy,
content, and with self-esteem.”
To today’s students
hoping to pursue a career in politics, Winter advises jumping right in and
exploring a range of opportunities. “I think you should go to D.C.,” she said.
“Seeing how the machinery of government runs is exciting. ... If you have a
candidate you believe in, it’s intoxicating. The Obamas broke the mold for me
and how I look at politics.”
She tells the next
generation of leaders that public service will always be important, despite
challenges that will inevitably arise along the way.
“You take a few steps
forward and a few steps back, but you can’t give up,” Winter said. “There’s a
lot that you all can offer.”