Michael Robertson

On Wednesday Ocotber 30 2018, Robertson’s former White House colleagues shared the tragic news that he had died the night before, at the age of 41. The cancer had returned. Many of them took to social media to mourn, including former president Barack Obama, who wrote a stirring tribute to his former aide. Michael Robertson is Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Cabinet Secretary. He helps lead the team that liaises with Cabinet departments and agencies on President Obama’s behalf. Serving under Cabinet Secretary Danielle Gray, Mr. Robertson’s work includes coordinating policy implementation of key initiatives across the Administration. Prior to this, he served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. General Services Administration where his focus included increasing efficiency in government operations through improved management, sustainability, and economic recovery. Robertson began his Administration service with GSA in 2009, first as White House Liaison, where he worked toward the successful confirmation of the Administrator in the face of a 10-month Senate hold, and, more recently, as Associate Administrator of Governmentwide Policy and Chief Acquisition Officer where he developed and evaluated policies for management of the federal government’s internal operations and functionally managed GSA’s acquisition workforce, policies, and procedures. Before joining the Administration, Mr. Robertson led the effort to secure Superdelegate support and votes for President Obama’s 2008 presidential election and worked on the Presidential Transition Team as the Deputy Working Group Lead for Energy and Environment. He previously served as Legislative Coordinator and Deputy to the Chief Counsel in President Obama’s Senate Office having worked his way up after joining as an intern on Obama’s U.S. Senate race in 2004. Mr. Robertson received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California Berkeley, where he played catcher for the University’s baseball team. He received his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law and his LL.M. degree from Georgetown University’s Law Center. In addition to his wife Sahar Wali and their 16-month-old son, Wali, Robertson’s survivors include his parents, Karyn and John Robertson, and sister Jamiee Robinson.