Rogers was born on June 16, 1959, in New Orleans, Louisiana[2] to late Roy Glapion and his wife Joyce. She is a descendant of Creole voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.[3]
Rogers began her career with AT&T.[8] Soon thereafter, she became an executive for restaurant and real estate developer Larry Levy.[9] In 1990, Rogers was appointed by RepublicanGovernorJim Edgar, to run the Illinois State Lottery,[8] a $2 billion state agency. She led the agency until 1997. During her tenure, Rogers worked extensively with over 8000 retailers to increase the sale of instant ticket products from 300 million to over 600 million.[7] Rogers attended the 1992 Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate.[9]
In 1997, Rogers was the vice-president of corporate communications for Peoples Energy (PE), which is a natural gas subsidiary of the WEC Energy Group. In late 1999, Rogers and three other minority women quit the board of the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art to protest what they regarded as a slow pace on diversity issues. They were the only female minority members among the museum's 63 trustees.[10] In September 2001, she became senior vice-president of PE and its utility subsidiaries.[11] In 2002, Rogers attended the Harvard Kennedy School Women and Power Program. In 2003 Rogers was named to the board of Equity Residential,[12] a $15 billion residential real estate investment trust (REIT). In July 2004, Rogers was selected as president of both Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, the two utility subsidiaries of PE. She was the first female African-American to hold those posts.[13][14] As PEs president, Rogers improved response times at the customer service center, converted paper records of inspection results to an electronic system, and eliminated a massive backlog of home gas meter inspections. In April 2006, the Illinois Commerce Commission launched an investigation to determine whether employees falsified safety reports on some of its gas pipes and found some discrepancies. Rogers determined the extent of the corrosion-testing problems, installed a new training and auditing regimen, and hired quality-control employees to check compliance work. No leaks were found.[15] Peoples Energy was bought by Wisconsin-based WPS Resources Corporation in July 2006. The merged companies became the Integrys Energy Group in the first quarter of 2007. Rogers initially stayed on as President of Peoples Energy, the gas subsidiaries of the new holding company.[16]
Roger's previous year's income, in a 2009 report, was a $350,000 salary from Allstate Financial, as well as $150,000 in board fees from Equity Residential, a real estate investment trust in which she also held at least $250,000 in stock. She also collected $20,000 in board fees from Blue Cross. Other assets reported in her checking account, stock investments, and mutual funds totaled at least $2 million.[19]
At the White House
As the White House Social Secretary for President Obama, Rogers was responsible for executing the Obamas' vision of opening the White House to a wider circle of people and making it 'the people's house'.[20][21] She organized 365 events in her tenure and was recognized for organizing lively get-togethers,[22] particularly with artists and musicians.[20] Rogers aspired to modernize the art collection in the White House Presidential mansion by adding ethnic art.[23] She got recognition for her sense of fashion and style brought to the position.[24]
2009 White House security breach
Students from L'Academie de Cuisine, White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, First Lady Michelle Obama, and White House pastry chef Bill Yosses.
Desirée served as the chair of the board of Choose Chicago from 2013[33] to 2019.[34] In June 2019, she along with Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, acquired Black Opal Cosmetics, a 25-year-old cosmetics and skincare house for women of color.[35] Desirée serves on the public boards of MDC Partners (MDC) and Inspired Entertainment (INSE). She also serves on the boards of World Business Chicago, Donors Choose and Northwestern Hospital. She is on the cabinet of the Conquer Cancer Foundation.[36]
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