Back in 2015, when I was nearly 6 months pregnant @DenisMcDonough called me and asked me if I would come back to the WH to serve as Comms Director, I told him I was pregnant and expected him to wish me well, but..

instead he immediately congratulated me and asked me to think about how we could make the job and being a new Mom work. Here is what else I learned about him over the next year and a half

He welcomes a big table and pushback. He always does his homework and then some. He is a policy wonk, but in an accessible way. He used to ride his bike to the WH and wear shirts from goodwill (when he was COS), he is from a big catholic family

and he works harder than absolutely everyone else times ten. most importantly he cares deeply about military families, veterans and the men and women who serve. And he will work like hell to fix things at the VA.