Meet the New White House Social Secretary

From Cosmopolitan

On Feb. 8, first lady Melania Trump announced the hire of Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd as the new White House social secretary, adding a third key person to her staff. The social secretary plans events ranging from casual (the White House Easter egg roll) to extremely formal (state dinners). The Washington Post, in a profile of the last White House social secretary, Deesha Dyer, explained that the role "has historically been the province of upper-class white women with pedigree, connections, and political networks."

Niceta Lloyd, who is 46 and goes by Rickie, has those distinctions. She was also chosen in part because her "entertaining style perfectly aligns with that of the First Lady," according to a White House statement. Trump said in the statement that she is "looking forward to sharing my ideas and traditions of entertaining and social hospitality to America's house, my new home as well. That, along with Rickie's vast experience, I am even more excited."

Here's some more background on Niceta Lloyd:

1. She's an experienced party planner.

Prior to becoming the social secretary, Niceta Lloyd worked for 22 years at Design Cuisine, a catering company based in Arlington, Virginia. As an account executive, according to Design Cuisine CEO Kathy Valentine, Niceta Lloyd worked with a range of clients planning social events.

She has become an expert in political protocol. "D.C. is a very specific market and you need to clearly understand that," Valentine said. "You need to guide the client as to the proper table settings and proper service."

Niceta Lloyd auditioned her skills in front of her new boss at the Inaugural Luncheon on Jan. 20, right after President Donald Trump was sworn in. The event is coordinated by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies in conjunction with a local catering company - in this case, Design Cuisine - that gets selected after a bidding process. Niceta Lloyd has worked on the past five Inaugural Luncheons.

For the luncheon, she helped select the menu, which included a shrimp and lobster gnocchi dish as well as grilled Angus beef, and collaborated with the committee to pick the linens, the flowers, the china, and the table setting. "She's very creative," Valentine said. "She really embraces food in menus. She customizes everything."

Niceta Lloyd pulled off a successful lunch, as far as Melania was concerned. And that's when the hiring process started, according to a report from the New York Times.

2. She has shown a knack for entertaining since she was a child.

Niceta Lloyd's mother, Hope Niceta, said her daughter was always trying to make things look appealing, even when she was very young.

"When she was 4 years old, we were sitting at the kitchen table, and she decided it wasn't up to her expectations," Niceta said. "She hauled a step stool over to the counter, took a plant from it, and moved the plant over to the center of the table. She dressed it. I remember that so distinctly. She always had a desire to do things well, to make things look appealing, taste good."

3. She is a Washington insider with a distant Kennedy connection.

"Mrs. Trump is selecting as her envoy to the city's social scene someone whose family has deep ties to the Washington establishment, a point the White House emphasized in its statement," the New York Times explained.

The language in the White House statement links Niceta Lloyd to Jacqueline Kennedy via Bunny Mellon, the Listerine heiress.

Niceta Lloyd's husband is also "a descendant of William Wilson Corcoran, the Washington financier and philanthropist who established the Corcoran Gallery of Art," according to the couple's wedding announcement in the New York Times.

4. She works well with clients.

Kathy Valentine, the CEO of Design Cuisine, noted that it was hard to predict what White House events would look like under Niceta Lloyd because she doesn't impose her own style onto events.

"She's going to be taking direction from the first lady," Valentine said. "This is where Rickie's good. She will utilize Mrs. Trump's direction and assist from there while making every event feel personal and special and different."

Niceta Lloyd is discreet regarding her clients and doesn't talk much about work. "She respects everyone's privacy," her mother said. This quality is crucial to the position of social secretary, according to USA Today. "The social secretary's job requires discretion and behind-the-scenes competence - no blabbing or bragging to the press, but expected to be an expert on protocol and place-settings."

5. She appreciates historical details.

Niceta Lloyd has been trained to incorporate the past into her events, according to Valentine. In the case of the Inauguration Luncheon, the committee usually selects a past president to reflect a broad theme for the event. For former President Barack Obama's first inauguration, the theme was Lincoln. For Trump, it was Washington. She would research to find out a president's favorite menu item and somehow work that into the menu, or learn about a president's connection to a specific color and find a way to incorporate that into the table setting. "She's historical but also modern," Valentine said.

6. She doesn't get political.

Niceta Lloyd has worked with Democrats and Republicans throughout her career, and she doesn't talk about her politics - at least not with her mother. "I never would discuss politics, nor would my husband. That's her life and her role. How could I ask her how she felt?"

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