Obama Presidency Oral History
-
Regina Benjamin
Surgeon General
-
Neera Tanden
Health Policy Advisor
-
Joe Del Bosque
Farmer
-
Andrew Stern
Labor Leader
-
Todd Stern
Special Envoy
-
Nancy Sutley
Environmental Policy Official
-
Don Verrilli
Solicitor General
-
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
-
Courtney Hight
Environmental Advocate and Campaigner
-
Kate Orff
Landscape Architect
-
Gina McCarthy
EPA Administrator
-
Max Baucus
Ambassador and US Senator from Montana
-
Aneesh Chopra
US Chief Technology Officer
-
Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
-
Sarah Holway
School Teacher and Food Policy Activist
-
Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
-
Melanie Bahnke
Alaska Native and Arctic Issues Advocate
-
Art and Helen Tanderup
Farmers
-
Heather Zichal
Energy and Climate Advisor
-
Elizabeth Fowler
Health Policy Official
Interviews released
Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.
-
go to the interview
Sebelius -
go to the interview
Emanuel -
go to the interview
Goldfuss -
go to the interview
Harkin -
go to the interview
Nielsen -
go to the interview
Majumdar -
go to the interview
Bahnke -
go to the interview
Verrilli -
go to the interview
McCarthy -
go to the interview
Browner
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
Private sector experience informing healthcare reform negotiations Elizabeth Fowler05:32
-
go to the interview
Timing strategy for implementing vehicle efficiency regulations Carol Browner01:55
-
go to the interview
Discussion on the limitations of unions and consideration of universal basic income Andrew Stern06:42
-
go to the interview
Efforts to ensure bipartisan support for the Affordable Care Act Kathleen Sebelius03:18
-
go to the interview
Influence of civil rights and anti-war protests on childhood Zeke Emanuel02:51
-
go to the interview
US diplomacy and strategy for the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement Todd Stern10:45
-
go to the interview
AMA's reaction to health reform advocacy and Affordable Care Act membership impact Nancy Nielsen02:32
-
go to the interview
President Obama's approach to climate change and the Clean Power Plan's impact on environmental justice communities Gina McCarthy07:56
-
go to the interview
Evolution of environmental issues to include energy and climate considerations Carol Browner02:55
-
go to the interview
Senator Kennedy's potential impact on healthcare reform negotiations Tom Harkin03:12
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
-
ChicagoComing soon
-
EducationComing soon
-
East WingComing soon
-
Nuclear NonproliferationComing soon
-
Elections and CampaignsComing soon
-
Atlantic RelationsComing soon
-
Inherited WarsComing soon
-
AgricultureComing 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