Obama Presidency Oral History
-
Sylvia Burwell
OMB Director and HHS Secretary
-
Tom Harkin
US Senator from Iowa
-
Cecile Richards
Planned Parenthood President
-
Nancy-Ann DeParle
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
-
Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
-
Neera Tanden
Health Policy Advisor
-
Michael Minor
Pastor and Healthcare Advocate
-
Arun Majumdar
ARPA-E Director
-
Robert Trapp
Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent
-
Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
-
Bill McKibben
Environmental Activist
-
Sandra Fluke
Reproductive Health Advocate
-
Christy Goldfuss
Environmental Policy Official
-
Don Verrilli
Solicitor General
-
Elizabeth Fowler
Health Policy Official
-
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
-
Art and Helen Tanderup
Farmers
-
Todd Stern
Special Envoy
-
Nancy Nielsen
American Medical Association President
-
Aneesh Chopra
US Chief Technology Officer
Interviews released
Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.
-
go to the interview
Majumdar -
go to the interview
McKibben -
go to the interview
Chu -
go to the interview
Verrilli -
go to the interview
Lambrew -
go to the interview
Orszag -
go to the interview
Tanden -
go to the interview
Chopra -
go to the interview
Blackmon -
go to the interview
Harkin
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.
Learn moreStories
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
First Lady Michelle Obama's visit to Bancroft and interactions with school staff and students Sarah Holway05:26
-
go to the interview
Reflections on confirmation hearing and the formation of ARPA-E success metrics Arun Majumdar03:03
-
go to the interview
Reflections on environmental restoration and the impact of fear-based advocacy Lisa Jackson02:59
-
go to the interview
Energy Secretary's perspective on clean coal and carbon capture technology Steven Chu07:09
-
go to the interview
Obama's appreciation for SEIU support and the union's endorsement process Andrew Stern01:27
-
go to the interview
Arrest at White House protest against the Keystone pipeline and its aftermath Courtney Hight05:07
-
go to the interview
Healthcare reform negotiations and transparency in the Obama administration Jeanne Lambrew03:33
-
go to the interview
Influence of CAP's ideas on the Obama White House and the process of policy development Neera Tanden06:35
-
go to the interview
Witnessing the passage of the Affordable Care Act in the White House Nancy-Ann DeParle01:26
-
go to the interview
Challenges faced by Planned Parenthood during attempts to defund it by Congress Cecile Richards03:59
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
-
ImmigrationComing soon
-
Republican OppositionComing soon
-
Gun ControlComing soon
-
Nuclear NonproliferationComing soon
-
LaborComing soon
-
Native AmericaComing soon
-
TransitionComing soon
-
Obama in the SenateComing soon
Navigate
Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.
News& Events
-
read full text:
What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
NewsRead more
-
read full text:
An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
NewsRead more
-
read full text:
The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
EventRead more