Allyson Laackman’s 16 year old daughter convinced her to volunteer for the Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign. Little did Allyson know that in a few short months, she would then go on to serve as the first Chief Financial Officer of the Obama White House, as the Interim Director of Executive Residence and eventually the Chief of Staff of the First Lady, Michelle Obama, during the 2012 Obama Reelection Campaign. Allyson now lives right here in Vermont where she currently serves as the Executive Director of the Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) and speaks at length about caring about the mission.