k PERFORMING ARTS (ENTER
Michael A. Guido Theater
FORD COMMUNITY
DEARBORN • MICHIGAN
IT
ONLY
HAPPENS
ONCE.
CHOOSE
PROUD.
President Barack Obama meets with Matt Nosanchuk, associate director of
public engagement, left, in the Oval Office on Aug. 30.
Working At The
White House
Metro Detroit native appointed
White House liaison to the U.S.
Jewish community.
Ryan Fishman I Special to the Jewish News
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18 October 10 • 201_
"I've had a number of chances to
work with the politically active folks in
Detroit over the course of my career.
I have come back to Michigan many
times to help campaign for Sandy, and
worked with Andy Levin when he ran
for state senate," Nosanchuk added.
"The Levin family's commitment to
public service is just one great example
of what this community has to offer,
and they've also shown others how to
give back in the broader community as
well. These are political institutions with
strong moral compasses, and we're lucky
to have them in our corner," Nosanchuk
said.
"What I take away from my history
with this community is a model for
engagement. The Jewish community
here is so impressive because of how
it engages, from having one of the
nation's best regional Holocaust muse-
ums to individuals playing leadership
roles on a national level in organiza-
tions like AIPAC and Federation or the
Joint Distribution Committee," he said.
"There's a willingness to engage
across a wide range of issues, for the
right reasons, and with the aim to
make a contribution to the state, nation
and global Jewish community:'
Nosanchuk also has a long history
with President Barack Obama, having
first met him in the 1990s while living
in Chicago.
"I was inspired by his speech at the
2004 Democratic National Convention
in Boston. I came on board early and
was involved in the campaign includ-
ing several months working full time
in Florida leading up to November. I
wanted to serve in this administration,
including, at some point, in the White
House," Nosanchuk said.
His first position under the president
was in the Civil Rights Division of the
Justice Department, working under
Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez,
who now serves as labor secretary.
Nosanchuk's work involved develop-
ing the department's legal and policy
positions on significant civil rights
issues as well as serving as the division's
point person on LGBT issues. In that
role, he spoke to audiences across the
country before and after the administra-
tion stopped defending the Defense of
Marriage Act, leading to the Supreme
Court's historic ruling last June of the
law's unconstitutionality.
After three years, Nosanchuk moved
on to the Department of Homeland
Security, doing what he described as a
more "strictly legal and management
job," running a division of the General
Counsel's office involved in significant
litigation, legislation and oversight.
Eventually he got the call from the
White House, which was looking for
somebody with seniority and experi-
ence to take on the Jewish outreach
position.
"Because I grew up in a vibrant
Jewish community like Detroit's, spent
time in Israel, connected at various
points over the course of my life with
the organized Jewish community,
and have developed a knowledge and
understanding of many issues of inter-
est to the community, they were inter-
ested in having me come on board.
It was because of those experiences I
brought to the table," Nosanchuk said.
In his new position, Nosanchuk will
not only take the priorities and posi-
tions of the Jewish community to the
president and his advisers, but also
will discuss issues of importance to
the president with the community and
engage its leaders on those issues.
"There are myriad concerns in the
Middle East right now, from Israel to
Syria and Iran, and they are all a prior-
ity to the administration," Nosanchuk
said. "The president had an incredibly
successful trip to Israel in March that
lays the groundwork for the resump-
tion of direct negotiations between
Israel and the Palestinians that
Secretary of State John Kerry worked
to jumpstart with the president's strong
support:'
Because of the Jewish community's
breadth of priorities, other issues
Nosanchuk expects to discuss over
the course of his time with the White
House include immigration reform,
civil rights, LGBT rights and imple-
mentation of the Affordable Care Act.
When he's not working to gather sup-
port for the administration's agenda or
to learn about the needs of the Jewish
community, you might find Nosanchuk
looking for a decent corned beef sand-
wich.
"You just can't get good deli in
Washington like you can in Detroit,
whether it's Steve's or Stage," said
Nosanchuk, who also misses the babka
from Star Bakery when he's away from
home.
"I love visiting the area with my fam-
ily, seeing all of the places I used to
go to in the suburbs, taking my son to
Lions, Tigers or Michigan games when
I'm in town, and I love to go back to
Cranbrook; its beautiful campus is the
perfect place for a rue
Even though he manages to get back
to Detroit two to three times a year,
Nosanchuk says many other expatri-
ates are leaving their own mark on
Washington.
"There's plenty of them running
around, including Fred Dobb, my rabbi
at Adat Shalom in Bethesda, Md.,
but whenever I get to interact with a
former Detroiter it reminds me how
impressive our community is, particu-
larly its level of engagement and com-
mitment to public service and giving
back to the community," he said.
"It's instilled in you, and there's no
surprise when you meet someone who
grew up in Detroit, here or elsewhere,
doing good work:"
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