Jeremy Bernard's White House Anniversary

It was a watershed moment when President Obama appointed Jeremy Bernard as the first man and the first openly gay Social Secretary in White House history, one year ago tomorrow, Feb. 25. In January, GQ magazine named Bernard #44 on its list of the 50 most powerful people in Washington. But since taking up his post, Bernard, a former major fundraiser for the Obama campaign who helped raise millions in California, has flown largely under the radar, and has never given a formal interview. Bernard's first White House event was the 2011 St. Patrick's Day reception, and he has also traveled with the President and First Lady Obama. (Above, with Mrs. Obama in Hawaii, at the APEC Spouses' Luncheon last November)

The President and First Lady Obama are "the greatest and best bosses one could work for," Bernard confided to West Hollywood's LGBT POV during a party thrown in his honor at a private Los Angeles home last August.

Bernard's social events in the past year included two State Dinners, which went off without a hitch. The weeks ahead will be extra busy for Bernard, with a trio of high profile Presidential dinners. This Sunday, the President and Mrs. Obama host the annual black-tie Governors Dinner. On Feb. 29, the President and Mrs. Obama will welcome about 200 guests for the formal "A Nation's Gratitude Dinner," which will honor veterans of the Iraq war. In mid-March, they will welcome Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Mrs. Samantha Cameron for a State Dinner, the sixth of the Administration.

April 9th brings the biggest event on the annual White House social calendar, when more than 30,000 guests will attend the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. One "off-the-record" event Bernard personally hosted that's of note is a White House lunch with Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his boyfriend; Ferguson tweeted about it last October, and included a photo of his lunch from the Navy Mess.

Bernard earns $118,00 annually, according to the 2011 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff, less than his female predecessor, Julianna Smoot, who earned $150,000 annually. Smoot, like Bernard's former romantic/business partner, Rufus Gifford, now works for the President's re-election campaign; Smoot is Deputy Campaign Manager, while Gifford is National Finance Director. Bernard is the third Social Secretary for the Obamas, who began their time at the White House with Desiree Rogers filling the post. Bernard's bio is here.

*AP photo