Obama Presidency Oral History
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Sylvia Burwell
OMB Director and HHS Secretary
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Tom Harkin
US Senator from Iowa
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Cecile Richards
Planned Parenthood President
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Nancy-Ann DeParle
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
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Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
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Neera Tanden
Health Policy Advisor
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Michael Minor
Pastor and Healthcare Advocate
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Arun Majumdar
ARPA-E Director
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Robert Trapp
Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent
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Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
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Bill McKibben
Environmental Activist
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Sandra Fluke
Reproductive Health Advocate
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Christy Goldfuss
Environmental Policy Official
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Don Verrilli
Solicitor General
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Elizabeth Fowler
Health Policy Official
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Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
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Art and Helen Tanderup
Farmers
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Todd Stern
Special Envoy
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Nancy Nielsen
American Medical Association President
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Aneesh Chopra
US Chief Technology Officer
Interviews released
Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.
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McCarthy -
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Sutley -
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McKibben -
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DeParle -
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Baucus -
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Blackmon -
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Jackson -
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Orff
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.
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Role and motivations for joining the Energy Action Coalition as Executive Director Courtney Hight01:22
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Consideration of displaying a gifted teepee at the Obama Presidential Center Art and Helen Tanderup01:07
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Contention at the 2009 healthcare summit over resources and quality of care Bob Kocher02:33
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Transition from the White House to leading the Office of Health Reform Policy at HHS Jeanne Lambrew01:04
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Impact of the Supreme Court's Medicaid decision on healthcare for underserved populations Elizabeth Fowler02:39
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Challenges in addressing the drug overdose crisis in Rio Arriba County Robert Trapp03:41
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Managing interagency collaboration and overcoming jurisdictional challenges in government initiatives Regina Benjamin02:34
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EPA's decision to mandate large emitters to track and report greenhouse gas emissions Lisa Jackson02:55
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Reflections on pragmatism and values in health policy from Clinton to Obama administrations Jeanne Lambrew02:02
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Reflections on the electoral impact of the Affordable Care Act after its passage Max Baucus02:31
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.
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Healthcare
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go to the Climate, Environment, and Energy
Climate, Environment, and Energy
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ChicagoComing soon
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EducationComing soon
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East WingComing soon
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Nuclear NonproliferationComing soon
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Elections and CampaignsComing soon
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Atlantic RelationsComing soon
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Inherited WarsComing soon
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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
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What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
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An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
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The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
EventRead more