Dee Dee Myers

Margaret Jane Myers was born in 1961 at Quonset Point in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, to Stephen and Judy Myers. Her nickname, "Dee Dee", originated when her sister could not pronounce "baby." Myers spent most of her formative years in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. Her father was a Navy aviator who completed two tours of duty in the Vietnam War, Myers is a graduate of William S. Hart High School and Santa Clara University (1983). Myers met her husband, Todd Purdum, the national editor for Vanity Fair, former White House correspondent, and Los Angeles bureau chief for The New York Times, during the 1992 presidential campaign. ==Political career==

Myers' career in political communications began shortly after graduating from college, taking a full-time role on the 1984 presidential campaign of Walter Mondale. She later served as a field representative for California State Senator Art Torres, Clinton years Myers joined Bill Clinton's presidential campaign team in 1991 and, following the 1992 presidential election, was named Clinton's first White House Press Secretary, Myers is now the third-youngest, as Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump's press secretary, was 27 when she assumed the role in January 2025. According to the Detroit Free Press, Myers earned a reputation for her "humor and patience" in handling the White House press corps, often delivering "quick one-liners" while issuing daily press briefings. Until September 1994, when she was given the title of Assistant to the President, she held the lesser title of "deputy assistant" and had a lower salary than previous White House Press Secretaries. She also lacked consistent access to Clinton's inner circle. This was frequently noted in news coverage about Myers throughout her term, ==Post-White House career==

After the Clinton administration, she became a political analyst and commentator, appearing on television and speaking at events on politics and the media. and later opposite Bay Buchanan. In 1997, she was the winning contestant on an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!, beating Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Myers has also appeared as a guest on other television programs, including The Today Show, Charlie Rose, and ABC's Nightline. She also appeared as herself in the 1997 Robert Zemeckis film, Contact. Writer Aaron Sorkin recruited Myers to serve as a consultant and script advisor on the Emmy Award-winning TV series The West Wing, beginning in 1999. The character of C. J. Cregg (played by Allison Janney), the White House Press Secretary on the series, was partially inspired by Myers. News articles have also reported that she may have served as the basis for the character of Daisy Green in the novel and film Primary Colors, played by Maura Tierney. Commentator Myers has contributed to Vanity Fair since July 1995, originally as a Washington editor, and since 1997 as a contributing editor. She is the author of the 2008 New York Times best-selling book Why Women Should Rule The World, about women taking on positions of leadership and her own experiences in the White House. Her writings have also appeared in a number of other publications, including the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, O: the Oprah Magazine, Politico, and The Huffington Post. In 2011, she became a brand ambassador for Jones New York's Empower your Confidence campaign, and appeared as a model in advertisements for the brand. Her role at the firm involves consulting with clients on communications strategy, marketing and reputation management. In January 2013 she was the spokeswoman for Paula Broadwell during the Petraeus scandal. Corporate communications In September 2014, Myers became the head of corporate communications at Warner Bros. She departed from this position in February 2020. State government In December 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Myers as Senior Advisor and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). ==References==