Former White House Director of Speechwriting
Cody Keenan has written with President Barack Obama since 2007, rising from a campaign intern in Chicago to Chief Speechwriter at the White House and Obama’s post-presidential collaborator. He’s been nicknamed the “Springsteen” of the Obama White House, even though he can’t play an instrument, and Obama calls him “Hemingway” for reasons that have little to do with his talent or seasonal beard. Not to be outdone, British GQ declared Cody one of the “35 Coolest Men under 38 (and a Half),” ahead of Ryan Gosling, but behind Tom Hardy.
Cody’s passion for public service was sharpened as a young aide to the legendary senator Ted Kennedy, and today, he sits on the board of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Cody holds a master’s degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a BA from Northwestern University, where he now teaches a popular course on speechwriting. Cody is a partner at Fenway Strategies and is writing his first book, due in 2021. He and his wife Kristen live in New York City’s West Village with their daughter, Grace.