Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers gave a rare interview to Fox-TV in Chicago recently.
Asked what lessons she's learned, Rogers said:
"It really is not about me. I think that's the important lesson. Things aren't really always about you," Rogers said.
Some might say she didn't learn that lesson quickly enough. Rogers was criticized for being too much in the spotlight. One of the most high-profile social secretary's ever, Rogers was in Vogue Magazine and in the front row at Fashion Week.
"As much has been talked about me wanting to be in the public eye, I'd rather be in the background. I really do want to be in the background," she said.
But Rogers, looking as sharp and sounding as smart as ever, said she was proud of her service. She said she helped put on a record 370 events in the first year of the Obama White House and helped to make it a "people's house."
"How could we really make certain this was going to be different and reflective of the values and principles of the Obama administration...inclusion, different people being in the White House," Rogers said.Rogers said she's still working out what her role will be withJohnson Publishing but is, at the age of 50, starting to think about her legacy.
Despite whatever criticism you have of Rogers, that one event at the White House should not comprise the bulk of her legacy. Before she became social secretary, she was a well-regarded Harvard-trained businesswoman.
Luckily, she still has time to reshape it.
"I don't think any of us realized how much scrutiny would be on the first African-American social secretary," Rogers said.
She later added: "For me, it was about serving the president and first lady and service."
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Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers gave a rare interview to Fox-TV in Chicago recently.