Catherine Fenton is the newly appointed White House social secretary and special assistant to the president.
By: Helen Pettigrew
MONTGOMERY Township resident Catherine Fenton is on the move.
As the newly appointed White House social secretary and special assistant to the president, Ms. Fenton travels by train to Washington every Monday and returns each weekend to her 6-year-old son, Nicholas, and husband, Tim, at their home in the Cherry Valley Country Club community.
Ms. Fenton has been working as a full-time mom for the past five years and said that although her schedule is tough, she is no stranger to heavy travel or life in Washington. Ms. Fenton has previously served as deputy social secretary in the cabinets of first ladies Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush and in other positions in Washington. Growing up, she lived in cities across the nation and the world.
"I’m a military dependent, so I’m used to moving around, meeting new people and being put in different situations," she said.
Ms. Fenton was born in San Francisco. A fourth-generation Californian, she is the middle child of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. When her father, a career Marine, went on active duty during the Korean War, the family was in Washington frequently, she said, and also moved to Europe for four years while she was in high school.
The family lived six months in Italy, where her father attended the NATO war college, and then lived in Stuttgart, Germany for three and a half years.
A five-year resident of the township, Ms. Fenton says she is not sure if she will move to Washington on a permanent basis. For now, they are waiting until Nicholas finishes his last four months of kindergarten in Montgomery, she said.
She likes living in New Jersey, but because she has spent so much time in Washington, she describes the experience as "a bittersweet homecoming."
"We would love to keep our home," Ms. Fenton said. "We have fallen in love with the community."
Ms. Fenton traveled to Washington on Jan. 10 for her initial staff meeting.
"We spent the morning together, Mrs. (Laura) Bush and I, and her staff, and had lunch," she said. "She is as gracious and warm and personable as anyone I’ve met. She is just a very self-contained, kind, poised person and very bright and capable."
As the first lady’s social secretary, Ms. Fenton will collaborate with the president’s staff to schedule White House events for Mr. and Mrs. Bush. She will plan and execute events such as state dinners and awards ceremonies. She will occasionally organize events for the first family abroad and for international summits held in the United States. Ms. Fenton also will organize the first lady’s political and charity events that take place at the White House.
Ms. Fenton said her goal is to make any visit to the White House a truly memorable and historic visit for guests and to make people feel that they have been treated to a special occasion and that they have visited a person’s house, rather than a political entity. She will work to create broad and inclusive guest lists, she said.
"It was pretty much a surprise," Ms. Fenton said of her appointment. "But when it comes to you, it’s hard to turn down if you can sort it out.
"It’s been pretty emotional to get to this point, but life is full of challenges and it wouldn’t be possible if my husband was not consulting," said Ms. Fenton.
Mr. Fenton recently began working out of his home as a consultant and has been caring for Nicholas full-time when his wife is away.
"With cellphones, it’s amazing. You can hear each other’s voice just with a touch of a button," said Ms. Fenton.
Ms. Fenton began working in Washington as a staff assistant and receptionist for Rep. Jim Johnson of Colorado in 1976, after she graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. She worked her way up to office manager, then applied for a position with the Reagan administration.
She worked for Mrs. Reagan’s first chief of staff and had several other jobs within the White House. After four years there, she was offered the position of deputy social secretary and stayed in that position when Mrs. (Barbara) Bush came into the White House.
Ms. Fenton feels comfortable in her position now, she said, because she has worked in that capacity before and has attended several White House dinners.
"I look forward to joining President and Mrs. Bush in their historic effort to lead the country," she said.