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The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking employee of the White House. The position is a modern successor to the earlier role of the President's private secretary. The role was formalized as the Assistant to the President in 1946 and acquired its current name in 1961.
The Chief of Staff is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the President; it does not require Senate confirmation.
The current White House Chief of Staff is Denis McDonough. He assumed the position on January 25, 2013, after the previous Chief of Staff, Jack Lew, was nominated to become Secretary of the Treasury.