Cody Keenan

Cody Keenan


White House Director of Speechwriting
In office March 1, 2013 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jon Favreau
Personal details
Born	1980/1981 (age 36–37) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Kristen Bartoloni
Alma mater	Northwestern University Harvard University

Cody Keenan is a speechwriter, and the former Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama. Keenan studied political science at Northwestern University. After graduation, he worked in the senate office of Ted Kennedy, before studying for a master's in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. After graduation, he took a full-time position on the Barack Obama presidential campaign in 2008. In 2009, he took on the position of Deputy Director of Speechwriting; after Jon Favreau left the White House in 2013, Keenan took over as Director of Speechwriting.

Keenan's parents were both advertising executives, who lived in Lake View, Chicago before moving to Evanston, Illinois, Wilmette, Illinois, and later Fairfield County, Connecticut, where Keenan attended high school. Keenan attended Northwestern University, beginning as a pre-medical student, hoping to become an Orthopedic surgeon, but changed his major to Chinese, international studies, and finally political science, graduating in 2002.

Keenan's political career began with an internship in the mailroom of Ted Kennedy's senate office in 2003, before going on to become the senator's legislative aide. After a stint as a staff assistant for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Keenan took a master's degree in public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, studying speechwriting and delivery under Steve Jarding. In 2007, Keenan took a summer internship in speechwriting on Barack Obama's presidential campaign, working under Jon Favreau, before returning to the Kennedy school to complete the second year of his studies. He remained involved in the campaign during the year, flying to Iowa during the Christmas break to assist in preparation for the Iowa caucuses. After Hillary Clinton conceded in June 2008, Keenan returned as a full-time staffer on Obama's presidential campaign.