Exclusive: White House elevates Erica P. Loewe to new senior role
“I don’t know if it makes me special…but I know that does make me relatable,” Loewe tells theGrio.
White House director of African-American media, Erica P. Loewe, is elevating to a new role within the Biden-Harris administration, becoming the latest Black woman to hold a senior role at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Loewe, who managed part of the White House’s media and communications portfolio, will now serve as special assistant to the president and chief of staff for the White House Office of Public Engagement, theGrio exclusively reports.
The Florida native started her political career as a White House intern many years ago, working through various staff roles on Capitol Hill. In her last role before joining the Biden-Harris White House, Loewe served as deputy communications director for then-House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. She worked in Clyburn’s office during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where she and fellow Hill colleagues barricaded the doors to protect themselves from pro-Donald Trump insurrectionists.
Reflecting on her ascent in Washington, Loewe credits it all to hard work and navigating a world of D.C. politics without “any special connections.”
“I didn’t necessarily come from a life of privilege,” she told theGrio. “I grew up in Liberty City, Florida, where the median income is around $30,000.”
Loewe, who is single, admits she has no work-life balance. Her typical day is filled with countless planned and unplanned projects. “You go to sleep reading the news, and you wake up reading the news,” she shared.
Loewe is fiercely passionate about public service, particularly for Black Americans, who may feel little or no connection to the highest office in the land – also known as “The People’s House.”
“A lot of the people that I grew up with don’t end up in the White House and are not expected to end up in rooms that I have been blessed to end up in,” Loewe acknowledged.
As one of few staffers in the White House with an intimate and sophisticated understanding of Black America, Loewe has been a key player on issues related to Black communities.
“I don’t know if it makes me special…but I know that does make me relatable,” Loewe said of her success and built experience working in community and media strategic communications.
Anita Dunn, assistant to the president and senior advisor to President Biden, lauded Loewe for spearheading the White House’s Black media engagement “since the early days of the Biden-Harris administration.”
“She’s smart, innovative, hard-working and has a passion that aligns with the President’s mission of ensuring everyone has a seat at the table,” Dunn said in a statement provided to theGrio. She added, “I’m confident she’ll be a tremendous asset to the Public Engagement team as the President and Vice President continue working on behalf of communities across the country.”
In her new role, Loewe will now engage with organizations and communities beyond her previous scope. She will be tasked with bringing people from all walks of life to the White House, taking the veil off what can oftentimes be seen as a mystery, despite being the most recognizable building in the world. The Biden official said she wants to expand her work to ensure that the White House is “inclusive and accessible,” which is her “favorite part” of the job.
Loewe recalled the days before her life in public service when she and her family visited the White House during President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. They stood outside the gates and took photographs on their phones.
“It was incomprehensible to us that we would be able to do anything else,” she said. “Now that I am in and I realize how easy it is to bring folks behind me, I am not going to stop.”
Stephen K. Benjamin, senior advisor to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, said he is excited to welcome Loewe in her new role.
“The Office of Public Engagement works tirelessly on behalf of the President to ensure direct dialogue between the Biden-Harris Administration and the American people,” Benjamin said in a statement provided to theGrio.
Recognizing Loewe’s professionalism, the former mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, said, “Her leadership, experience, and creativity will be invaluable as we continue to reach diverse communities across the nation.”
As one can imagine, being a staffer at the White House often requires working around the clock. Many often experience burnout, and very few stay for an entire administration. Understanding that reality, Loewe said she still enjoys the job.
“They say that once you’re no longer excited to walk through the gates and see the White House, it’s time to go,” she said. “I still catch myself taking pictures like a tourist.”
For Loewe, rising in the ranks of the White House is personal, especially when she thinks about her family history. Her late grandmother, who did not have a high school education, “could not understand what I could possibly be doing there” back when she was just an intern.
“It was just unfathomable to [her] that I would go into a building like the White House or the Capitol, and people would be interested in what I think,” shared Loewe. She added, “That’s not lost on me.”
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