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Plouffe to lead Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's work on policy, advocacy -
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/plouffe-zuckerberg-facebook-233430

Plouffe to lead Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's work on policy, advocacyKen
Mehlman, a former Republican National Committee chairman, will lead the
group's policy advisory board.

By Nolan D. McCaskill <http://www.politico.com/staff/nolan-d-mccaskill>
•01/10/17 05:19 PM EST
[image: 170110_David Plouffe_getty_1160.jpg]

David Plouffe is a former senior adviser to the president and senior vice
president of policy and strategy at Uber. | Getty

A former senior adviser to President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he
will lead the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s policy and advocacy work.

David Plouffe, an Obama campaign veteran, former senior adviser to the
president and senior vice president of policy and strategy at Uber, said he
is “thrilled to be joining Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan on the
journey to advance human potential and promote equal opportunity thru the
work of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.”

Story Continued Below

Zuckerberg, the Facebook founder, and his wife, Chan, announced the
creation of the philanthropic organization in a letter to their daughter
<https://www.facebook.com/notes/mark-zuckerberg/a-letter-to-our-daughter/10153375081581634/>,
Max, in December 2015, when they pledged $45 billion to fulfill their
mission to advance human potential and advocate for equality among all
children.

“As the President of Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Policy and Advocacy, my job
will be to find creative ways to lift the voices of those who want to build
a better future — no matter where they live, their background or their
ideology,” Plouffe wrote in a Facebook post
<https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=746992835455955&id=547571922064715&substory_index=0>.
“Curing disease, improving education through personalized learning and
building technology and tools to help organizations reach their full
potential are areas with wide spread support and massive potential for
mobilization, great storytelling and smart policy engagement.”

Plouffe credited Zuckerberg and Chan for creating “a great team” — which
includes Jim Shelton, president of Chan Zuckerberg Education; Cori
Bargmann, president of Chan Zuckerberg Science; and Brian Pinkerton, chief
technology officer — adding that he’s honored to join such “world-class
leaders.”

In a separate Facebook post
<https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10103400798050241>, Zuckerberg
announced Plouffe and Ken Mehlman, a former Republican National Committee
chairman and George W. Bush campaign manager who will lead CZI’s policy
advisory board, as new hires. Plouffe said he is “eagerly anticipating
collaborating with and learning from Ken Mehlman, someone I have deep
respect and admiration for.”

“The Policy Advisory Board he will build and chair will bring additional
important voices and perspectives to our work,” he continued. “Getting up
every day and going to work simply trying to make the world a better place
for more people will be a privilege.”

Plouffe’s latest move comes hours before Obama delivers his farewell
address in Chicago, marking the end of his administration, which officially
ends once President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20.

“Excited for a new journey on the night another one ends,” Plouffe tweeted
<https://twitter.com/davidplouffe?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor>.


*Correction: Due to an editing error, an version of this story misstated
Plouffe's role. He'll be leading the group's policy and advocacy work.*
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Eric D. Schwerin
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com

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