Cabinet Secretaries

One idea I had early on during President Obama’s first term was to try and show government at work at

every level. Documenting the issue at the grass roots level to a bill being signed by the President Obama in

the Oval Office. Our photo office was made up of photojournalists and photo editors from newspapers,

magazines and academia. We wanted to document as much of the Obama Administration as we could. As

our idea was working itself out we also came up with the idea to highlight or showcase the cabinet

secretaries doing their jobs. It would be a picture essay based on a week in the life of the different cabinet

level positions. Their task is to promote the president’s agenda in the arena of their designation. I covered

Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, Eric

Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State.

Secretary Clinton

In August of 2012 I spent two weeks traveling with Secretary Clinton and her staff to Africa -  Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan and Uganda- with a surprise trip to Istanbul, Turkey to meet with Syrian refugees at the end. During her tenure as Secretary of State she traveled to 112 countries. More than any of U.S. Secretary of State.

Secretary LaHood

In May 2011 I spent a week with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood during National Transportation week. Secretary LaHood traveled to an hybrid vehicle car plant in Tennessee, a Travel and Tourism Summit in Las Vegas and rode on a newly paved bike path in Northern California. 

Secretary Shinseki

In July 2011 I spent four days with Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki as he traveled VA Centers in Montana and North Dakota. Calling it the "listening and talking" tour he met veterans and VA staff to address their needs.