27-year old Darienne M. Page who is called “ROTUS” by President Obama picks up one of the most important phones in the world continuously…and you thought your job was high pressure. According to a pretty interesting New York Times story:
Mr. Obama, of course, is Potus (president of the United States). Michelle Obama is Flotus (first lady of the United States). And the title of Rotus (receptionist of the United States) is worn by Darienne M. Page.
“This is the receptionist of the entire United States,” Mr. Obama said, introducing Ms. Page to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. “How long was your confirmation hearing?” Mr. Holder asked with a smile. “You want to say, ‘Hello, Potus,’ ” Ms. Page said later, recalling her interactions with Mr. Obama, who picked up the Rotus nickname from young aides and now uses it nearly every time he sees her. “But then you say, ‘Hello, Mr. President.’ ”
She is on hand to greet nearly every official visitor who has an appointment with the president or his top advisers. She oversees the front of the house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, serving coffee to former Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, making small talk with a delegation from Kazakhstan and trying to chew a mouthful of almonds quickly before saying hello to Tiger Woods as he stands at her desk.
For her $36,000-a-year salary, Ms. Page schedules all the activity in the Roosevelt Room, just steps from the Oval Office, and in the Wardroom Room, which is outside the White House mess hall. This is her first White House job, but Mr. Obama is the second president she has served. The first was George W. Bush, her commander in chief when she was an Army sergeant stationed in Iraq.
We want Darienne to get a raise!
See here at work HERE.
Photo: Doug MIlls/NY Times
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
$36,000 a year? Thats it?…Sorry but Barack & Michele would have to answer their own phone…lol
^^^i concur. 36? Damn!
looks good on her resume and will open a lot of doors for her later on. its not about money. I got my first job in the mail room after college, but end up in the I.T dept. the mail room is the best place to get in . you who’s who and you develop relationship with lots of the movers and shakers because you deliver their mail every morning: you develop a relationship. While doing mail run,i would do a little troubleshooting that’s how my name got to head of the IT dept. In certain situation you just need to get in the door. what you do after that is up to you
36,000 is more then what most “receptionist” in D.C. get paid. Does not matter who her boss is. She does the same work as other receptionist do, she should get the same thing. Also like stated above, WAY more doors will be opened to her because of this.
i’d beat.
thats a sexy lil lady barack gon hit that before the end of his term……lmao
Who knew there was universal pay for receptionists? I would assume that the bigger the firm, the bigger the pay. There are receptionists at tanning salons who make more than this. I guess the big payout here is having this experience listed on her resume. Good look!
shes a cutie….mr president got some nice eye candy to look at!
watch how the Facebook/myspace and twitter page for her blows up now!
WOW at that $36K…..that’s hard to live off of…geez.
Its not the same work as other receptionists. The complexity and room for error is a thousand times more intense than being a receptionist at a doctors office or law office or anywhere! get real. She needs a raise!
^^^ after that …there is no more to be said….so true
Im gonna need for her to get a raise. That’s a lot of pressure. If you accidentally drop a call at IBM that’s one thing, but you accidentally drop a call at the White house, or make someother type of mistake, you could really mess something up. Plus, I actually live in dc where the sales tax is 10%. So when you buy something for $10, its actiually $11. I don’t see how she’s living on that. She must commute from outside the city…
Her salary may only be 36K a year but look at all of the other free perks she gets. Travel, daily transportation, meals, parties, events, local/national/international contacts,
secured housing (because of her daily proximty to the Pres.). I’m pretty sure that 36K for her is not as critical as the 36K is for anther receptionist.
Not bad to look at …….
I think Obama will end up doing what Bill clinton did to monica….She smart and Fine Michelle watch out….lol
Asan army veteran who served in Iraq and her position as ROTUS,
Miss Page’s employment background will look good on a future job
resume.
I can picture her getting in college in time. Just picture what a
recommendation from her current employer would look like.