What they learned in the White House: A conversation with the chief speechwriters for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama

Cody Keenan has been a speechwriter for President Barack Obama for more than a decade, rising from a campaign intern in Chicago to Director of Speechwriting at the White House. Through times of challenge and change, Keenan has worked with President Obama to craft remarks on every topic for every audience – from tiny backyards in Iowa to the biggest stadiums in the country; from sermons on the national stage to the State of the Union Address.

Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter from 2009-2017, serving as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as chief speechwriter for first lady Michelle Obama. Sarah worked with Mrs. Obama to craft widely-acclaimed addresses, including her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech and her political speeches during the 2016 campaign cycle, and traveled with the first lady across America and to five continents. Sarah was previously a senior speechwriter on the Obama campaign; chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign; deputy chief speechwriter on the presidential campaigns of General Wesley Clark and Senator John Kerry; and a speechwriter for Senator Tom Harkin. Prior to working on the Clinton and Obama campaigns, Sarah was an attorney at the Washington, D.C. office of WilmerHale. Sarah is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.