#MsLMstatus: White House Gets First Female ‘Chief Usher’ (October 23rd-29th)

 

The White House has announced that next month, Angella Reid will become the White House’s next chief usher or “director of the president’s executive residence”. Reid will be only the ninth person to hold the job and the first woman in the position. Fresh out of high school in Kingston, Reid found her life’s calling in the hotel business and quickly learned the sacrifices that come when your job is to put other people’s comfort first. Now, after more than three decades working in hospitality, Reid is ready to take charge at one of the world’s most exclusive residential establishments, the White House. Chief usher is a quaint title for a demanding position. Reid will oversee day-to-day operations at the president’s home, a 132-room mansion with a staff of more than 90 people ranging from plumbers and electricians to butlers and cooks. She’ll cater to everyone from A-list guests at state dinners to throngs of kids at the annual Easter egg roll. In recognition of the many facets to the job, the usher’s title was recently expanded to include “director of the president’s executive residence.”  

“To say that she was hopeful and excited couldn’t possibly describe how badly she hoped she was chosen for this position,” says Jean Cohen, who mentored Reid in Marriott’s management program when both were in New York in the 1990s. “This was her absolute dream position.”