The Office of the First Lady announced today that Susan Sher, Chief of Staff to Mrs. Obama, will be returning to Chicago after the first of the year, after nearly two years of service.  Ms. Sher started in the White House Counsel’s Office in January, 2009, to support the Office of the First Lady.  In this role, she also worked on the Administration's health care reform efforts.  In June, 2009, Ms. Sher moved to the East Wing to serve as Chief of Staff to the First Lady. 

“Susan has been both a colleague and a dear friend for decades, and I have been grateful every day for her leadership and wise counsel in Washington,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “I also very much appreciate her generosity in staying longer than she initially planned – spending so many months away from her family in Chicago – to help me build my office in the East Wing.  I wish her all the best.”

“Susan has brought tremendous skill and dedication to the First Lady’s office, as well as my Administration’s outreach to the Jewish Community and our efforts to pass health care reform, and I thank her for her service,” President Obama said.

A replacement has not yet been determined.