Obama’s Post-Presidency Panel of Experts: Celebrities, Billionaires, and Authors
Much has been made of Barack Obama’s “fourth quarter,” during which the president’s administration has ticked off a string of accomplishments that range from negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran and normalizing relations with Cuba to unveiling sweeping executive orders on immigration and commuting dozens of prison sentences for non-violent offenders. And now, signs are emerging Obama doesn’t see January 20, 2017—the end point of his presidency—as any reason to hit the brakes.
Obama has been judiciously planning his life after the White House, which political insiders believe will come together around a foundation—one that could mushroom to an endowment of $1 billion.
A report in Monday’s New York Times highlighted the eclectic mix of characters Obama has been asking for advice. There’s actress Eva Longoria and New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell. There’s Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Toni Morrison, venture capitalist John Doerr, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, and Sun Microsystems founder Vinod Khosla are also among those with whom the president has consulted.
Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in May announced that Obama’s presidential library would be constructed on the South Side of Chicago. Aides tell the Times, however, that the Obamas themselves may stay in Washington D.C. until Sasha Obama completes high school. Others say the president will also work out of Columbia University, in his beloved New York City. Last July, rumor had it that the First Family was going to move to California’s Coachella Valley.
Where the president chooses to live isn’t the only fuzzy part of the emerging picture: there are a wide range of issues that Obama is expected to focus his efforts on, including criminal-justice reform, promoting civic engagement among youth, promoting diplomatic efforts and buttressing foreign-policy projects, health care, and fighting income inequality....
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/08/obama-life-after-white-house?mbid=social_twitter via Vanity Fair
