Thanks to The West Wing, I know that all the cute acronyms for government types that end in -OTUS (for example, POTUS = President of the United States, SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the United States). However, there’s one new addition to the list: ROTUS. The R stands for Receptionist. I’ve been a receptionist for a super busy company before, but I doubt it’s anything on par with what it must be like to be the gatekeeper to the most powerful person in the free world.
Darienne M. Page, who is profiled today in the New York Times, is 27 years old and has met some of the biggest celebrities in the world (Tiger Woods, Owen Wilson, and, of course, Barack Obama). An alumna of the University of Illinois, Page served in the US army for several years and was sent to Iraq. She worked as a paralegal and took depositions at Abu Ghraib prison. In her current job, she earns $36,000 a year. As for her duties, well… ROTUSes, they’re just like us!
A task that requires particular diplomacy is overseeing the presidential boxes at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A few days a week, she goes to pick up tickets and checks to be sure that the V.I.P. seats in all three theaters are in order and that the minibar is stocked with small bottles of Korbel champagne, white boxes of M&Ms with the presidential seal on them and a few cans of Bud Light.
First of all, I love Bud Light. And how do I get my hands on one of those boxes of M&Ms?
Secondly, Darienne Page sounds awesome, and I would love to hang out with her. Maybe the next time I’m in DC…
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