Cody began writing with President Barack Obama in 2007, ultimately becoming his chief speechwriter in the White House and his post-presidential collaborator.

In truth, Cody is more comfortable behind the scenes, shaping the stories of our time—whether moments of national tragedy or expansions of civil rights. He served as a young aide to the legendary senator Edward M. Kennedy and holds a master’s degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from Northwestern University, where he now teaches a popular course on speechwriting. His own commencement addresses at NYU in 2015 and Northwestern in 2018 were highlighted as some of the year’s best.

Born in Wrigleyville, Cody finally got to write his dream speech just four days before Obama left office—one welcoming the World Champion Chicago Cubs to the White House. To his wife Kristen’s enduring embarrassment, their White House courtship was documented on CNN. Today, they live in New York’s West Village with their daughter Gracie. Cody’s first book, GRACE: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America, was published in October 2022 and instantly became a New York Times bestseller.

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