Yet even with her departure, the chief of staff post hasn’t lost its Washington flare.

Her replacement, Jason Solomon ’93-’95, worked as a communications aide in President Clinton’s White House and a staff member for former Secretary of the Treasury Robert E. Rubin ’60.

And Solomon also knows how to deal with the media as a former journalist himself.

During his undergraduate years,Solomon was an editor of Fifteen Minutes, the Crimson’s weekly magazine. His former Crimson colleagues recall his sense of humor in the newsroom and his strong leadership skills.

“If there’s someone who can process all the bits of Harvard and synthesize and figure out nuances that need to be compromised and discussed, Jason can do that,” recalls former Crimson President Julian E. Barnes ’93. “When you’re dealing with all the egos of Harvard, you’ve got to have someone who wants to learn from people and treats people with respect.”

Solomon says he’s eager to learn from Summers and other Mass. Hall colleagues—noting that despite Summers’ full schedule, the president manages to stay on top of things.

“[Summers] has a mind like steel trap. He remembers more than his staff does,” Solomon says.

But Solomon says that Summers’ status as a public figure makes his need for assistants all the more important.

Summers may ultimately call the shots, but Solomon has already taken the lead in at least one change in Mass. Hall.

The proof? A secretary at the front desk contacted The Crimson, at Solomon’s request, to make sure that copies of FM will start to be delivered to the president’s office every week.

—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.