Jerome Loughridge Appointed White House Fellow
The White House announced today that Jerome R. Loughridge, chief of staff to Baylor University President Robert B. Sloan Jr., has been appointed a White House Fellow for 2003-04, effective Sept. 1. The bipartisan White House Fellowship Program, founded in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, is the nation's most prestigious program for leadership and public service.
Loughridge, a 1995 summa cum laude graduate of Baylor, is one of 12 Fellows chosen from an initial pool of more than 1,000 candidates for the one-year, paid appointment. The program offers exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and in trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally.
Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one's career, evidence of leadership potential, a proven commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully in the federal government. In its 39-year history, the program has fostered leaders in many fields, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, American Red Cross President Marty Evans, United Nations Foundation President and former U.S. Sen. Timothy Wirth and U.S. Sen. Samuel Brownback.
"I am humbled at being selected for this program and honored at the opportunity to serve with such a distinguished group," Loughridge said. "I am also pleased that my experience at Baylor as a student and a staff member and the role it played in my selection says something about the university's ability to cultivate individuals for leadership and influence in our culture."
After earning his master's degree in public policy from Harvard University in 1998, the Oklahoma native served on the staff of U.S. Sen. Don Nickles. He also has served as the first Foundation Fellow for the Children's Memorial Medical Center Foundation in Chicago, was a consultant to Northwestern University's pediatric academic medical center; and worked as a graduate researcher at Harvard's Center on Non-Profit Institutions. He also has taught American federal government and European history in the Tulsa Community College System and in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core program.
In February 2001 Loughridge was named to his current position as chief of staff, where he has been responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and staff of the Baylor President's Office. He is senior adviser to the president on various issues and projects as well as a liaison to the Baylor constituents, including the Board of Regents, faculty and staff, students, parents, administration and the community. Loughridge also oversees the Baylor Office of Public Affairs.
"This is a great personal and professional loss, but what a wonderful opportunity for Jerome and Tricia," Sloan said. "I'm confident that this will, in fact, bring opportunities for Baylor as well, enriching our contact with the world of public affairs."
Loughridge and his wife, Tricia, a 1995 Baylor graduate and director of the university's Office of Work/Life Programs, are members of Highland Baptist Church.