Time’s Up Names Former Obama Aide Tina Tchen As Its New President And CEO

Tina Tchen, a lawyer and former chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, has been named president and CEO of Time’s Up.

The advocacy group confirmed the news in a tweet Monday, saying it is “honored to announce that she’ll be leading the charge.”

Tchen will take over on November 1. She succeeds Lisa Borders, who stepped down last February after just four months on the job after sexual assault allegations were made against her son. Rebecca Goldman has been serving as CEO on an interim basis.

“Tina knows the power and opportunity of Time’s Up as a valuable ally helping bring this organization to life early on,” said Shonda Rhimes, a principal founder of Time’s Up. “Tina’s talent and unique skill set perfectly suit her for this role and time, and will help ensure our continued progress towards meaningful change.”

A former assistant to President Barack Obama, executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, Tchen has worked for decades to advance gender equality, particularly for working women. At the White House, she spearheaded the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families and helped form the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault.

“I have been a single working mother throughout my career, and I have never witnessed such an inspiring and honest conversation about the challenges facing women and all workers, including sexual harassment, power, and equity,” Tchen said. “I am more optimistic than ever that we can create workplaces where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and, in this new role, I’m determined to make it happen.”

Time’s Up launched behind a phalanx of Hollywood A-listers in January 2018 in an effort to ensure a safe, fair and dignified workplace for women in all industries. The organization runs (with the National Women’s Law Center) the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which helps defray legal and public relations costs for those pursuing sexual harassment retaliation claims.

Here is the official tweet with a video featuring Tchen: