# Christopher Emery

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This article is about the former White House usher and author. For the British poet, see [Chris Emery](/source/Chris_Emery).

**Christopher Beauregard Emery** (born August 1, 1957) is an American author and former government official. He was a [White House Usher](/source/White_House_Chief_Usher) during the [Reagan](/source/Presidency_of_Ronald_Reagan), [George H. W. Bush](/source/George_H._W._Bush_administration), and [Clinton](/source/Bill_Clinton_administration) administrations. Emery later served as the [chief information officer](/source/Chief_information_officer) of the [United States Department of Justice National Security Division](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice_National_Security_Division) and the [Architect of the Capitol](/source/Architect_of_the_Capitol). He was chief [enterprise architect](/source/Enterprise_architect) of the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission](/source/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission). Emery is the author of the memoir *White House Usher: Stories from the Inside* (2017).

## Early life and education

Emery was born in [Sykesville, Maryland](/source/Sykesville,_Maryland). His father, Roy Frederick Emery Jr., served in the United Kingdom as a [U.S. Army Air Force](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Forces) captain. He was a [dairy farmer](/source/Dairy_farmer) and [attorney](/source/Lawyer) in [Ellicott City, Maryland](/source/Ellicott_City,_Maryland), as well a [thoroughbred](/source/Thoroughbred) horse breeder later in life.[1] His [Parisian](/source/Parisian_(person)) mother, Jacqueline Nicole Marchal, served in [French Indochina](/source/French_Indochina) as a nurse in the [French Army](/source/French_Army). She was later a French language teacher at [Glenelg Country School](/source/Glenelg_Country_School), as well as a [freelance](/source/Freelancer) French and German translator.[2] Emery's parents were married in 1949 and moved from [Cooksville, Maryland](/source/Cooksville,_Maryland), to the historic 18th-century residence, [Howard Lodge](/source/Howard_Lodge) in 1959.[1] Emery has two sisters, Ariane and Lynn. His parents divorced in 1971.[1] His father remarried to actress [Jennifer Bassey](/source/Jennifer_Bassey) until his death in 1991. His mother later married former commercial pilot turned statistician Riaz Hussein Rana, through which Emery gained two stepsisters, including [Natasha Gajewski](/source/Natasha_Gajewski).[3][4][5]

Emery completed an associate degree from [Howard Community College](/source/Howard_Community_College).[6] In 1996, Emery graduated with a B.S. in [information systems](/source/Information_system) with a minor in management from the [University of Maryland University College](/source/University_of_Maryland_University_College) where he also completed graduate work in [technology management](/source/Technology_management).[7][8]

## Career

### White House

Emery began his career at the [White House](/source/White_House) as a computer specialist after answering a job advertisement in *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*.[7] Soon, [White House Chief Usher](/source/White_House_Chief_Usher) [Gary J. Walters](/source/Gary_J._Walters) hired him to replace the retiring Nelson Pierce as an assistant White House chief usher.[7] Emery served as an usher in the [Reagan Administration](/source/Presidency_of_Ronald_Reagan) beginning in January 1986.[7] In this capacity, he worked in a four-person office to oversee the White House estate, including managing the 89 residence staff.[7] In addition, part of Emery's job was to carry out White House functions such as receptions, dinners, and conferences. In so doing, Emery worked in tandem with the [First Family](/source/First_Family_of_the_United_States), the [White House staff](/source/Executive_Office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States), the chief usher, the [press office](/source/White_House_Press_Secretary), the [Secret Service](/source/United_States_Secret_Service), and military leaders. Emery gave personal tours of the [White House](/source/White_House) to private guests including some notable figures such as: [Barbra Streisand](/source/Barbra_Streisand), [Dana Carvey](/source/Dana_Carvey), [Ted Williams](/source/Ted_Williams), [Joe DiMaggio](/source/Joe_DiMaggio), [Julia Roberts](/source/Julia_Roberts), [Tom Hanks](/source/Tom_Hanks), [Julie Andrews](/source/Julie_Andrews), [Johnny Carson](/source/Johnny_Carson), and [Melanie Griffith](/source/Melanie_Griffith).[9][7]

On March 3, 1994, Emery's unusually abrupt firing was the subject of nationwide news when [Hillary Clinton](/source/Hillary_Clinton) dismissed him for communicating with former first lady [Barbara Bush](/source/Barbara_Bush).[10][11][12][13] Despite passing several [FBI](/source/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation) investigations and background checks, Emery was fired by Hillary Clinton for "an incredible lack of discretion" after communicating twice with the former [first lady](/source/First_lady).[11][12][14] He was the first-ever White House usher to be fired.[7] A White House usher does not typically change with administrations.[9] [White House Chief Usher](/source/White_House_Chief_Usher) [Gary J. Walters](/source/Gary_J._Walters) was not permitted by the White House to testify before a Congressional subcommittee on Emery's dismissal. This led to some suspicions on [Capitol Hill](/source/United_States_Capitol) that the White House was attempting to avoid scrutiny about the firing.[15]

### Howard County administrator

After his dismissal from the White House, Emery worked for eleven months as a computer consultant.[16] In March 1995, he was appointed [council administrator](/source/County_administrator) of [Howard County, Maryland](/source/Howard_County,_Maryland), replacing former [University System of Maryland](/source/University_System_of_Maryland) assistant vice-chancellor [Sheila Tolliver](/source/Sheila_Tolliver).[9][17] As the council administrator, he oversaw a staff of 25 people with an operating budget of about $1 million.[18] Views on his tenure are split along party lines.[6] He has earned the praise of [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) Council Chairman Charles C. Feaga and [Allan H. Kittleman](/source/Allan_H._Kittleman).[6][16] In June 1996, Emery publicly clashed with [Democratic](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) Councilman C. Vernon Gray over his alleged misuse of county funds and resources to aid in his campaign for a position with the [National Association of Counties](/source/National_Association_of_Counties) (NAOC).[19] Weeks later, Gray wrongfully accused Emery of leaking NAOC campaign letters to *[The Baltimore Sun](/source/The_Baltimore_Sun)*.[20] Emery was vindicated by the [Howard County Police Department](/source/Howard_County_Police_Department); Gray subsequently found his letters in a different file in his office.[21] Effective December 4, 1998, Emery resigned when Democrats regained the majority on the Howard County Council.[22][23]

### Later years

After his time as a council administrator, Emery returned to the [federal government](/source/Federal_government_of_the_United_States) as a supervisory information technology specialist at the [Architect of the Capitol](/source/Architect_of_the_Capitol) (AOC) where he later served as the director of information resources management.[8][24][25] Emery was promoted to chief enterprise architect of the AOC beginning in 2007.[8] In this capacity, he oversaw the enterprise and technology management of the [U.S. Capitol](/source/United_States_Capitol), [Senate](/source/United_States_Senate), the [House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives), the [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress), and the [Supreme Court](/source/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States).[8] He contributed, along with other information enterprise professionals from the federal government, private sector, and academia, to the publication of *The Integrated Enterprise Life Cycle: Enterprise Architecture, Investment Management, and System Development.*[8] With colleagues at the AOC and the [National Science Foundation](/source/National_Science_Foundation), Emery also published a paper for the 40th [Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences](/source/Hawaii_International_Conference_on_System_Sciences).[26] In 2009, he became the [chief information officer](/source/Chief_information_officer) of the AOC.[27]

In 2010, Emery served as the director of portfolio governance in the Office of the Chief CIO for the [U.S. Department of Homeland Security](/source/United_States_Department_of_Homeland_Security). Two years later, in December 2012, he became the first chief information officer of the [United States Department of Justice National Security Division](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice_National_Security_Division). There he served on the DOJ CIO Council to help develop the strategic plan for the [department](/source/United_States_Department_of_Justice)'s information and technology goals for fiscal years 2015–2018.[28]

Emery served as the chief enterprise architect for the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission](/source/U.S._Securities_and_Exchange_Commission) from 2015 to January 2020.[29][better source needed]

## Selected works

- Emery, Christopher B. (2017). *White House Usher: Stories from the Inside*. Booklocker.com. ISBN 978-1634926560.[30]
- Emery, Christopher B. (2021). *Who Killed the President?*. Booklocker.com. ISBN 978-1-64719-761-2.
- Emery, Christopher B. (2023-08-25). *Who Shot the Speaker?*. BookLocker.com, Inc. ISBN 979-8-88531-564-7.

## Personal life

Emery is a past resident of [Laurel, Maryland](/source/Laurel,_Maryland), and [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington,_D.C.)[1] He has one daughter and three stepchildren.[7][9][31]

## References

1. ["Roy F. Emery, Howard farmer, lawyer, dies at 70"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-12-03-1991337047-story.html). *[The Baltimore Sun](/source/The_Baltimore_Sun)*. December 3, 1991. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160415071432/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-12-03/news/1991337047_1_emery-ellicott-howard-county) April 15, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

1. ["Jacqueline Rana"](https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post/20100219/283583806543506). *[The Washington Post](/source/The_Washington_Post)*. February 19, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

1. Schudel, Matt (November 15, 2012). ["Riaz H. Rana, company founder"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/riaz-h-rana-company-founder/2012/11/15/9c7ad770-2ea2-11e2-9ac2-1c61452669c3_story.html). *The Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved October 18, 2017.

1. ["Obituaries for January 2013 | Amstat News"](http://magazine.amstat.org/blog/2013/01/01/obituaries-for-january-2013/). *[American Statistical Association](/source/American_Statistical_Association)*. 2013-01-01. Retrieved October 18, 2017.

1. Clare, David (April 18, 2014). ["The Friday Interview: Natasha Gajewski, Founder of Symple App"](http://pixelhealth.net/2014/07/18/friday-interview-natasha-gajewski-founder-symple-app/). *Pixel Health*. Retrieved October 19, 2017.

1. Timberg, Craig (July 21, 1996). ["Council official to testify in FBI file probe Panel seeks story of White House usher fired by first lady"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/07/21/council-official-to-testify-in-fbi-file-probe-panel-seeks-story-of-white-house-usher-fired-by-first-lady/). *[The Baltimore Sun](/source/The_Baltimore_Sun)*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Sherrill, Martha (March 23, 1994). ["THE MAN HILLARY USHERED OUT"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/03/23/the-man-hillary-ushered-out/cc4b5b0a-546b-41db-adbf-44ace5eb0b26/). *The Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved 2017-10-21.

1. *Handbook of enterprise systems architecture in practice*. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. 2007. ISBN 9781599041919. [OCLC 317384365](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/317384365)

1. Maass, Peter (September 10, 1996). ["AFTER THE USHER'S FALL"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/09/10/after-the-ushers-fall/739ba963-b04f-4695-a5bf-decd2885f89b/). *The Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved October 19, 2017.

1. Brower, Kate Andersen. ["The Secret Lives of Hillary and Bill in the White House"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150409172020/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/clinton-white-house-the-residence-excerpt-116706_Page3.html#.WetqNNOGPsk). *[Politico Magazine](/source/Politico_Magazine)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/clinton-white-house-the-residence-excerpt-116706_Page3.html#.WetqNNOGPsk) on April 9, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2017.

1. Lewis, Neil A. (July 4, 1996). ["Attack Widens on Clinton Staff Practices"](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/04/us/attack-widens-on-clinton-staff-practices.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved October 21, 2017.

1. ["White House Used IRS File, Documents Say"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-04-mn-21144-story.html). *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)*. July 4, 1996. [ISSN 0458-3035](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0458-3035). Retrieved January 17, 2018.

1. Kessler, Ronald (2014). [*The First Family Detail: Secret Service agents reveal the hidden lives of the presidents*](https://archive.org/details/firstfamilydetai00kess/page/16). First ed. New York: [Crown Forum](/source/Crown_Forum). pp. [16](https://archive.org/details/firstfamilydetai00kess/page/16). ISBN 9780804139212. [OCLC 874969647](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/874969647)

1. Murdock, Deroy (October 1, 2015). ["Hillary Clinton, Bane of the Secret Service"](http://www.nationalreview.com/article/424927/hillary-clinton-bane-secret-service-deroy-murdock). *[National Review](/source/National_Review)*. Retrieved January 10, 2018.

1. Jehl, Douglas (March 18, 1994). ["Chief White House Usher 'Grounded'"](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/18/us/chief-white-house-usher-grounded.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Coram, James M. (February 22, 1995). ["Council names new top aide"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/02/22/council-names-new-top-aide/). *Baltimore Sun*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. [*The United States government manual 2007–2008*](https://archive.org/details/unitedstatesgove00offi_0). Rev., June 1, 2007 ed. Washington, D.C.: [Federal Register](/source/Federal_Register). 2007. ISBN 9780160786594. [OCLC 172987856](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/172987856)

1. Thomas, Kevin (February 26, 1995). ["More to This Job than Irking Hillary"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/02/26/more-to-this-job-than-irking-hillary/). *Baltimore Sun*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Timberg, Craig (July 9, 1996). ["Report angers Howard councilman Administrator rebuked over campaign data"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/07/09/report-angers-howard-councilman-administrator-rebuked-over-campaign-data/). *Baltimore Sun*. Retrieved October 10, 2017.

1. Timberg, Craig (July 12, 1996). ["Gray seeking police inquiry about letters Councilman accuses GOP administrator of stealing missives"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/07/12/gray-seeking-police-inquiry-about-letters-councilman-accuses-gop-administrator-of-stealing-missives-its-absurd-emery-denies-taking-or-leaking-letters-used-for-naco-drive/). *Baltimore Sun*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Timberg, Craig (August 5, 1996). ["No crime found in missing letters But police conclusion sets off a new round in councilmen's feud"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/08/05/no-crime-found-in-missing-letters-but-police-conclusion-sets-off-a-new-round-in-councilmens-feud/). *Baltimore Sun*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Epstein, Gady A. (November 12, 1998). ["Election is history, but some still see sparks Date of orientation for council members puts Emery, Gray at odds"](https://www.baltimoresun.com/1998/11/12/election-is-history-but-some-still-see-sparks-date-of-orientation-for-council-members-puts-emery-gray-at-odds/). *tribunedigital-baltimoresun*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. Goodman, Charles Babington; Peter S. (November 15, 1998). ["FOR LOBBYIST, AN OFFICIAL REBUKE"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1998/11/15/for-lobbyist-an-official-rebuke/44b67f8f-83ec-4b2c-b588-458e7491169f/). *The Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved January 17, 2018.

1. Emery, Christopher & Armour, Frank (December 31, 2009). ["The Integrated Enterprise"](https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2010/01/integrated-enterprise). *FedTech*. Retrieved October 25, 2017.

1. *Semiannual Report of the Architect of the Capitol*. Washington, D.C.: [Government Printing Office](/source/Government_Printing_Office). 2004. p. 2. ISBN 0160836700.

1. *Proceedings of the 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences : January 3-6, 2007, Big Island, Hawaii : abstracts and CD-ROM of full papers*. Los Alamitos, Calif.: [IEEE Computer Society Press](/source/IEEE_Computer_Society_Press). 2007. ISBN 978-0769527550. [OCLC 137225282](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/137225282)

1. Emery, Christopher B. & Armour, Frank (December 31, 2009). ["The Integrated Enterprise"](https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2010/01/integrated-enterprise). *FedTech*. Retrieved January 17, 2018.

1. ["DOJ Strategic Plan For Information Services and Technology 2015–2018"](https://www.justice.gov/jmd/file/631221/download). Department of Justice – Office of Chief Information Officer. 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2018.

1. McCarthy, Anthony (February 28, 2020). ["SEC Chief Enterprise Architect and Assistant Director for Strategy and Governance exits"](https://app.g2xchange.com/fedciv/posts/sec-chief-enterprise-architect-and-assistant-director-for-strategy-and-governance-exits-2/). *G2X*. Retrieved March 22, 2025.

1. ["Former White House usher shares stories from life inside the presidential mansion"](http://www.fox5dc.com/good-day/former-white-house-usher-shares-stories-from-life-inside-the-presidential-mansion). *WTTG*. November 28, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.

1. Kessler, Ronald (2009). [*In the president's secret service : behind the scenes with agents in the line of fire and the presidents they protect*](https://archive.org/details/inpresidentssecr00kess). New York: Crown Publishers. pp. [146](https://archive.org/details/inpresidentssecr00kess/page/146)–147. ISBN 978-0307461377. [OCLC 464303615](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/464303615)

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