Obama Presidency Oral History

Incite at Columbia University
The Obama Presidency as told by 450+ officials, activists, organizers, and extraordinary people from all walks of life.

  • Lisa Jackson

    EPA Administrator

  • Cecile Richards

    Planned Parenthood President

  • Kate Orff

    Landscape Architect

  • Regina Benjamin

    Surgeon General

  • Elizabeth Fowler

    Health Policy Official

  • Art and Helen Tanderup

    Farmers

  • Neera Tanden

    Health Policy Advisor

  • Nancy Nielsen

    American Medical Association President

  • Peter Orszag

    White House Budget Director

  • Jeanne Lambrew

    Health Policy Advisor

  • Nancy Sutley

    Environmental Policy Official

  • Nancy-Ann DeParle

    White House Deputy Chief of Staff

  • Todd Stern

    Special Envoy

  • Steven Chu

    Secretary of Energy

  • Arun Majumdar

    ARPA-E Director

  • Bob Kocher

    Health Policy Advisor

  • Gina McCarthy

    EPA Administrator

  • Robert Trapp

    Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent

  • Kathleen Sebelius

    Secretary of Health and Human Services

  • Sandra Fluke

    Reproductive Health Advocate

Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
43

Interviews released

Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.

Explore all interviews

Since 2019, Incite at Columbia University has interviewed hundreds of people to produce the official oral history of the Obama presidency. These in-depth interviews, conducted with those inside and outside of the administration, represent roughly 1,100 hours of audio and video that together form a comprehensive record of the Obama years.

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Stories

Each oral history interview contains dozens of stories. Explore these stories through prepared playlists—or save stories to make your own.

  • go to the interview
    Interest in healthcare reform before the Affordable Care Act Max Baucus
    04:27
  • go to the interview
    Proposal of the healthcare reserve fund in the first budget and its role in healthcare reform negotiations Peter Orszag
    02:31
  • go to the interview
    Reflections on healthcare reform discussions during the 2008 Obama campaign Nancy-Ann DeParle
    05:30
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    Linking health insurance to economic empowerment and racial coalition potential in the South Michael Minor
    03:32
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    CEQ's engagement with climate activists during the Obama administration Christy Goldfuss
    03:09
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    Reflections on the outcomes of the Copenhagen Climate Summit Todd Stern
    02:38
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    Reflections on the Affordable Care Act's impact and public awareness Cecile Richards
    01:29
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    Pre-2009 healthcare reform groundwork and coalition building at SEIU Andrew Stern
    04:55
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    Efforts to unify diverse stakeholders in conservation initiatives Nancy Sutley
    02:03
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    HHS involvement in climate change initiatives during the Obama administration Sylvia Burwell
    01:26
Explore all stories

Topics

From healthcare to the financial crisis to nuclear nonproliferation, each topic explored in this collection is brought to life by narrators from both inside and outside the Obama administration.

  • go to the Healthcare
    Healthcare
  • go to the Climate, Environment, and Energy
    Climate, Environment, and Energy
  • Atlantic Relations
    Coming soon
  • Nuclear Nonproliferation
    Coming soon
  • Criminal Justice
    Coming soon
  • Latin America
    Coming soon
  • Supreme Court
    Coming soon
  • The Peoples' House
    Coming soon
  • Financial Crisis and the Economy
    Coming soon
  • Women and Girls
    Coming soon
See more topics

Navigate

Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.



2009-17

Timeline
Map

News& Events

  • read full text: What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
    Peter Baker in The New York Times.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
    Caroline Harting in Columbia News.
    NewsRead more
  • read full text: The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
    New York City
    On May 31, 2023, we gathered in New York City to celebrate the completion of the Obama Presidency Oral History project's fieldwork.
    EventRead more
See more news