Jeff Zients

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Jeff Zients
Official portrait, 2023
Jeff Zients
BornJeffrey Dunston Zients
12 11, 1966
BirthplaceWashington, D.C., U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusiness executive, government official
Known forWhite House Chief of Staff, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, Director of the National Economic Council
EducationDuke University (BA)
Spouse(s)Mary Menell

Jeffrey Dunston Zients (born November 12, 1966) is an American business executive and government official who served as the 31st White House Chief of Staff from February 2023 to January 2025 under President Joe Biden. A figure who moved fluidly between the private sector and public service over the course of three decades, Zients built a reputation as an operationally minded manager whose career spanned senior roles in consulting, investment, and multiple presidential administrations. Earlier in the Biden administration, he served as counselor to the president and as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator from January 2021 to April 2022, overseeing the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. During the presidency of Barack Obama, Zients held a series of prominent economic and management positions, including director of the National Economic Council from 2014 to 2017, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget on two separate occasions, and the inaugural Chief Performance Officer of the United States. He also led the emergency effort to repair HealthCare.gov following the troubled launch of the website, a critical component of the Affordable Care Act. Before entering government, Zients was a senior executive at the Advisory Board Company and CEB, and later served as chief executive officer of Cranemere, an investment firm. He was also a member of the board of directors of Facebook from 2018 to 2020. In September 2025, Zients testified before the U.S. House of Representatives regarding President Biden's cognitive health during his time in office.

Early Life

Jeffrey Dunston Zients was born on November 12, 1966, in Washington, D.C.[1] He grew up in the Washington metropolitan area. Zients demonstrated entrepreneurial and leadership inclinations from an early age. Details of his family background and upbringing have been documented in profiles published by The Washington Post and other outlets covering his career in business and government.[1]

Zients attended Duke University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] After graduating from Duke, he entered the business world, quickly establishing himself in the management consulting sector in Washington, D.C.

Education

Zients received his undergraduate education at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.[2] Duke's emphasis on public policy and business would prove consistent with the dual-track career Zients later pursued in both the private sector and federal government. He did not pursue a graduate degree, instead entering the private sector directly after completing his undergraduate studies.

Career

Early Business Career

After graduating from Duke University, Zients entered the management consulting and corporate advisory industry. He became an executive at the Advisory Board Company, a Washington, D.C.-based research and consulting firm serving the health care and education sectors.[3] The Advisory Board Company, which provided best-practices research and analysis to hospitals and health systems, became one of the more prominent firms of its kind in Washington's business landscape. Zients rose to a senior leadership position at the firm and was instrumental in its growth during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[1]

Zients also served in a leadership capacity at CEB (originally the Corporate Executive Board), a member-based advisory company that provided research and analysis to business executives across industries.[4] Both the Advisory Board Company and CEB were publicly traded companies headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area, and Zients' work at both firms established him as a significant figure in the region's business community. By the mid-2000s, Zients had accumulated considerable wealth and a reputation as an effective operational executive.[3]

Obama Administration

Chief Performance Officer and OMB Deputy Director

In April 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Zients to serve as the first-ever Chief Performance Officer of the United States, a newly created position intended to bring private-sector management discipline to the federal government.[5][6] He simultaneously served as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget for Management, a Senate-confirmed position, beginning on June 19, 2009.[7]

In these roles, Zients was tasked with identifying and eliminating waste, improving government efficiency, and bringing data-driven performance metrics to federal agencies. President Obama highlighted these reform efforts publicly, discussing the administration's work to streamline government operations and reduce unnecessary spending.[8] Zients' work in the role was covered extensively, with observers noting his focus on cutting through bureaucratic red tape and applying business management principles to government operations.[9]

The Obama administration also sought Zients' input on broader management reforms. In April 2010, it was reported that the president would take management recommendations from Zients aimed at improving agency performance.[10]

Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget

Zients served as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget on two separate occasions during the Obama presidency. He first filled the role from July 30, 2010, to November 18, 2010, following the departure of Peter Orszag and before the confirmation of Jack Lew.[11] He served as acting director again from January 27, 2012, to April 24, 2013, after Lew departed to become Secretary of the Treasury and before Sylvia Mathews Burwell was confirmed as the permanent director.

As acting OMB director, Zients was responsible for overseeing the federal budget process and advising the president on fiscal policy. His tenure spanned a period of significant fiscal debates in Washington, including negotiations over the national debt ceiling and federal spending levels.

HealthCare.gov Rescue

In October 2013, President Obama appointed Zients to lead the emergency effort to repair HealthCare.gov, the federal health insurance marketplace website that had experienced severe technical failures upon its launch as a central element of the Affordable Care Act.[12] The website's inability to handle user traffic and numerous software bugs had created a political crisis for the administration and threatened the viability of the health care law's enrollment process.

Zients applied what The Washington Post described as his management and operational expertise to diagnosing and coordinating the repair effort, working with teams of government contractors and technology specialists to stabilize and improve the site.[13] Within approximately two months, the website was brought to a functional state that allowed millions of Americans to enroll in health insurance plans through the federal exchange. The successful turnaround of HealthCare.gov was seen as a defining episode in Zients' government career and enhanced his standing within the Obama administration.

Director of the National Economic Council

In September 2013, it was reported that Zients was set to replace Gene Sperling as director of the National Economic Council.[14] He formally assumed the position on March 5, 2014, serving as the 10th director of the NEC. In this capacity, Zients coordinated the Obama administration's domestic and international economic policy agenda, serving as a principal economic adviser to the president.

Zients held the NEC directorship through the remainder of Obama's presidency, departing on January 20, 2017. His successor in the role was Gary Cohn, who was appointed by incoming President Donald Trump. During his tenure, the NEC dealt with a range of economic issues including job creation, trade policy, and financial regulation. Zients' involvement in the debate over fiduciary standards for financial advisers was noted in coverage of Wall Street's engagement with regulatory policy.[15]

Private Sector Return (2017–2021)

After leaving the Obama administration in January 2017, Zients returned to the private sector. He became chief executive officer of Cranemere, an investment firm. Cranemere described itself as a long-term holding company that acquired and managed businesses across various sectors.

In 2018, Zients was appointed to the board of directors of Facebook (later renamed Meta Platforms).[16] He served on the Facebook board until 2020.[17] His tenure on the board coincided with a period of intense public scrutiny of the social media company over issues related to data privacy, content moderation, and the platform's role in elections. Zients departed the Facebook board before joining the Biden administration.

Biden Administration

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator

On January 20, 2021, Zients joined the Biden administration as counselor to the president and as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, succeeding Deborah Birx, who had held the coordinator role under President Trump. Zients took leave from his position at Cranemere to accept the appointment.

As coronavirus response coordinator, Zients was responsible for overseeing the federal government's efforts to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations, increase testing capacity, and coordinate the public health response to the ongoing pandemic. The role placed him at the center of one of the Biden administration's highest-profile policy priorities. The administration set ambitious vaccination targets, and Zients served as a public-facing figure in communicating progress toward those goals. He served alongside deputy coordinator Natalie Quillian. Zients held the coronavirus coordinator role until April 5, 2022, when he was succeeded by Ashish Jha.

White House Chief of Staff

On February 8, 2023, Zients became the 31st White House Chief of Staff, succeeding Ron Klain. As chief of staff, Zients managed White House operations, controlled access to the president, and coordinated policy and political strategy across the executive branch. His appointment was seen as reflecting the Biden administration's shift from the legislative accomplishments of its first two years to a phase focused on implementation and management of enacted programs.

Zients served as chief of staff through the remainder of Biden's term, departing on January 20, 2025, when he was succeeded by Susie Wiles, who was appointed by incoming President Donald Trump. During his tenure, Zients oversaw White House operations during a period that included the 2024 presidential election cycle, ongoing foreign policy challenges, and continued domestic policy implementation.

In July 2025, it was reported that on Biden's final day in office, Zients had approved the use of an autopen for the execution of presidential pardons, writing in an email, "I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons."[18]

Congressional Testimony on Biden's Cognitive Health

In September 2025, Zients testified in a closed-door session before the House Oversight Committee as part of a Republican-led investigation into President Biden's mental acuity during his time in office.[19] According to multiple news reports, Zients told House investigators that Biden's ability to remember names and dates had worsened over the course of his presidency, and that Biden's speech stumbles had increased during his time in office.[20][21][22]

Reports also indicated that Zients had called for Biden to undergo a cognitive test following the president's widely discussed debate performance in the summer of 2024.[23] Zients was described as one of the highest-ranking Biden White House officials to acknowledge that the president's age had affected his performance in office.[20] Additional reports stated that Hunter Biden, the president's son, had sat in on meetings related to the presidential pardons issued at the end of Biden's term.[24]

Personal Life

Zients is married to Mary Menell. The couple resides in the Washington, D.C. area, where Zients has been based for most of his professional career. Zients is a member of the Democratic Party.

Before joining the Biden administration, Zients had established himself as a prominent figure in Washington's business community, with significant involvement in both for-profit enterprises and civic life. His career trajectory—moving between the private sector and senior government roles—has been a defining characteristic of his professional biography.

Recognition

Zients' role in repairing HealthCare.gov in 2013 brought him significant public attention and was frequently cited as evidence of his management capabilities. The Washington Post profiled him extensively following the website's recovery, describing him as the administration's operational troubleshooter.[13] The Guardian noted that his appointment to lead the HealthCare.gov rescue reflected the White House's confidence in his ability to manage complex, failing operations.[12]

His appointment as the first Chief Performance Officer of the United States in 2009 was also a notable milestone, establishing a new role within the federal government that was intended to bring greater accountability and performance measurement to government agencies.[5][7]

During the Biden administration, Zients' management of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout was a central element of the administration's public messaging and policy agenda during 2021 and early 2022. His subsequent elevation to White House Chief of Staff in February 2023 made him one of the most consequential operational figures across both the Obama and Biden administrations.

Legacy

Zients' career in government and business reflects a pattern of movement between private-sector leadership and senior executive branch positions that has characterized a subset of Washington's policy and management elite. His dual stints as acting OMB director, his creation and occupancy of the Chief Performance Officer role, and his leadership of the NEC gave him an unusually broad portfolio of experience within the executive branch during the Obama years.

The HealthCare.gov rescue in late 2013 remains one of the most frequently cited episodes of his career, representing a case in which operational management skills were applied to avert a major policy failure. Similarly, his coordination of the national COVID-19 vaccination effort under Biden placed him at the center of one of the most consequential public health campaigns in modern American history.

His September 2025 congressional testimony regarding President Biden's cognitive health marked a significant post-government moment, making him one of the most senior former Biden officials to provide such an account to congressional investigators.[19][20] The testimony and its implications for understanding the final years of the Biden presidency are likely to remain subjects of historical and political analysis.

Zients' service as the 31st White House Chief of Staff, combined with his extensive record in the Obama administration, places him among the small number of individuals who have served at the most senior levels of the White House under multiple presidents.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Washington Post.2004-10-04.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4258-2004Oct3.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Wall Street Journal.2009.https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124002247015831371.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Washington Post.2006-01-30.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/29/AR2006012900520.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ The Washington Post.2005-11-02.https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101668.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Obama Names Chief Performance Officer".The Washington Post.2009-04.http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/obama_names_chief_performance.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ Washington Business Journal.2009-04.http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/04/13/daily103.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Government Executive.2009-06-22.http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0609/062209rb1.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Weekly Address: President Obama Discusses Efforts to Reform Spending, Government Waste".The White House.2010.https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/realitycheck/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-discusses-efforts-reform-spending-government-waste-n.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ "OMB's Zients Cuts Through the Red Tape".The Fiscal Times.2010-06-14.http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2010/06/14/OMBs-Zients-Cuts-Through-the-Red-Tape.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ "Obama to Take Management Tips".The Washington Post.2010-04.http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/04/obama_to_take_management_tips.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ The Wall Street Journal.2012.https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303644004577523071816686902.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Obama appoints Jeffrey Zients to fix Healthcare.gov".The Guardian.2013-10-25.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/25/obama-appoints-jeffrey-zients-healthcare.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Jeff Zients helped salvage HealthCare.gov. Now he'll be Obama's go-to guy on economy".The Washington Post.2013-12-22.https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/jeff-zients-helped-salvage-healthcaregov-now-hell-be-obamas-go-to-guy-on-economy/2013/12/22/3ebf38a4-6986-11e3-8b5b-a77187b716a3_story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "Zients Said Set to Replace Sperling at White House Economic Unit".Bloomberg News.2013-09-13.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-13/zients-said-set-to-replace-sperling-at-white-house-economic-unit.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ Money.https://money.com/wall-street-fights-fiduciary/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ "Facebook's board expands role".Axios.2018.https://www.axios.com/facebooks-board-expands-role-of-a-1529004696-6d97c141-2709-4eb5-8fe4-b893b782f7cc.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ "Facebook Names Former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury to Its Board".The Wall Street Journal.2020-03-26.https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-names-former-deputy-secretary-of-the-treasury-to-its-board-11585256495.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ "Biden chief of staff reportedly gave approval for autopen pardons on final day in office".Fox News.2025-07-14.https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-chief-staff-reportedly-gave-approval-autopen-pardons-final-day-office.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Ex-Biden chief of staff testifies in GOP probe of former president's mental decline".CNN.2025-09-18.https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/18/politics/house-probe-biden-mental-decline-zients.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Top Biden aide admits president struggled in final years in office".Axios.2025-09-19.https://www.axios.com/2025/09/19/biden-decline-jeff-zients-president.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "Source: Former WH chief of staff testifies Biden's memory declined in office".NBC News.2025-09-19.https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/source-former-wh-chief-of-staff-testifies-biden-s-memory-declined-in-office-247976005516.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ "Former Biden Chief of Staff Admits President's Speech Stumbles Increased, Memory Worsened".National Review.2025-09-18.https://www.nationalreview.com/news/former-biden-chief-of-staff-admits-presidents-speech-stumbles-increased-memory-worsened/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ↑ "Ex-Biden chief of staff Jeff Zients called for post-debate cognitive test, said 46th prez's memory grew worse in office: source".New York Post.2025-09-18.https://nypost.com/2025/09/18/us-news/ex-biden-chief-of-staff-jeff-zients-called-for-post-debate-cognitive-test-said-46th-prezs-memory-grew-worse-in-office-source/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  24. ↑ "Hunter Biden sat in on meetings over father's pardons: Report".The National Desk.2025-09-19.https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/hunter-biden-sat-in-on-meetings-over-fathers-pardons-report-house-oversight-jeff-zients-former-chief-of-staff-autopen-mental-decline-health.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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