WASHINGTON — As President Bush puts the finishing touches on his second-term team, one of the most powerful — and purposely least known — White House figures in the effort is a 31-year-old, Egyptian-born woman who is the administration's chief headhunter and recruiter.
Dina Powell, assistant to the president for presidential personnel, may be the most important White House aide who is rarely photographed, and that's how she likes it.
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In a rare interview, Powell talked about the challenges of assembling a team to advance the interests of a president who has made it clear he has grand ambitions for his second term.
"When I recruit people I say, 'You don't want to be on the sidelines when the president accomplishes the agenda he was reelected on,' " she said. "And I tell them, 'When that's happening, you want to be on his team.' "
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Noting a record of diversity among Bush's top appointments...
"It says so much about the individual and about America," she said. "Our country is a meritocracy."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dina10jan10,0,3539230.story?coll=la-home-nation