Gary Sheng & Dr. Denise Mitchem: White House Faith Office Debrief

July 15, 2025

Overview

A comprehensive debrief conversation between Gary Sheng and Dr. Denise Mitchem following her recent White House Faith Office visit where she had invited Lael Alexander. The conversation revealed significant operational challenges with the White House meeting, Dr. Mitchem's sophisticated understanding of faith-based political networking, and her deep concerns about Lael Alexander's professional behavior patterns. Dr. Mitchem demonstrated strong operational instincts and high standards for accountability in faith-based political work.

Key Themes

1. White House Faith Office Meeting Experience

Event Details:

• Attendance: Approximately 100 people total
• African-American Representation: Only 6 black people present, 3 of whom Dr. Mitchem knew
• Venue: Small room with lunch provided
• Follow-up: Dinner at Myro restaurant paid for by Paula White

Operational Challenges:

"They wouldn't even give me the date ahead of time, and I had to beg for the date... The last minute is crazy."

• Last-Minute Planning: No advance date provided, requiring Dr. Mitchem to "beg for the date"
• Communication Breakdowns: Multiple invitees didn't receive emails until Saturday afternoon
• Access Problems: Armstrong Williams approved but never received link, required White House staff intervention
• Logistical Complications: Security clearance issues requiring special intervention

Notable Attendees:

• Armstrong Williams: African-American Republican media owner (Tennis Channel, Baltimore Sun, radio stations)
• High-Value Business Leaders: $5-7 billion oil/gas executive from Africa
• Sports Team Owner: Atlanta Dream WNBA team owner ($800 million net worth)
• Various CEOs and Business Leaders: Multiple companies represented at dinner

2. National Faith Advisory Board Structure

Organization Details:

• Founder: Paula White
• Location: Based in Florida
• Purpose: Coalition for faith-based policy advocacy
• Activities: Multiple signature letters supporting causes and policy initiatives
• Platform: Podcasts, website, donation systems, membership drives

Coalition Function:

"They are creating structures, but I don't know if they create structures to give out money... They have a thing to join and donate and all that stuff."

3. Dr. Mitchem's Assessment of Lael Alexander

Professional Standards Concerns:

"I believe that commitments are sacred. They're divine. And they are, it's actually very, very sinful to, especially as a man, especially as a man that people look up to."

Overpromising and Underdelivering Pattern:

• Core Issue: Lael's tendency to overpromise and underdeliver
• Impact: Damages reputation of faith communities
• Professional Risk: "It's very hard if he doesn't stop overpromising and underdelivering that he's not gonna have a role"

Specific Behavioral Concerns:

• Security Team Incident: Lael brought unnecessary security team to White House visit
• Professional Presentation: Security team not dressed professionally
• Logistical Complications: Private jet, family travel, excessive arrangements
• Communication Issues: Unreliable follow-through on commitments

Strategic Assessment:

"He needs to clean the slate of all of his commitments. And then he has to justify what he keeps and the default is no. Default is, I'm sorry for committing."

4. Faith Community Reputation Management

Reputation Concerns:

"When people think about faith stuff, if stuff keeps dropping the ball like this, then it just makes all people that have faith look stupid."

Professional Standards:

• Accountability: Emphasizes importance of delivering on promises
• Trust Management: Guards connections carefully against unreliable partners
• Quality Control: Maintains high standards for faith community representation
• Risk Management: Aware of potential negative impacts on faith community reputation

5. Strategic Insights and Philosophy

Operational Excellence:

• Planning: Emphasizes proper advance planning over last-minute arrangements
• Communication: Strong focus on reliable communication systems
• Quality Control: Maintains high standards for events and relationships
• Network Protection: Guards valuable connections against unreliable partners

Faith-Based Political Strategy:

• Coalition Building: Focus on creating sustainable faith-based policy advocacy structures
• Network Quality: Curates high-value connections rather than quantity
• Reciprocity Model: Understands value exchange in political networking
• Long-term Vision: Focuses on building sustainable faith-based political infrastructure

Key Quotes from Dr. Mitchem

On White House Operations:

"They wouldn't even give me the date ahead of time, and I had to beg for the date... The last minute is crazy."

On Professional Standards:

"I believe that commitments are sacred. They're divine. And they are, it's actually very, very sinful to, especially as a man, especially as a man that people look up to."

On Strategic Planning:

"But the next time, give me a who knows this all. I can't do the last minute... I expect her to get jobs meat."

On Faith Community Reputation:

"When people think about faith stuff, if stuff keeps dropping the ball like this, then it just makes all people that have faith look stupid."

On Network Protection:

"I guard my connections and I'm not worried about it... If I buy state that he can't do anything and I want to do anything, I understand that."

On Lael's Behavior:

"He needs to clean the slate of all of his commitments. And then he has to justify what he keeps and the default is no."

Operational Challenges Identified

White House Meeting Issues

1. Last-Minute Planning: No advance date provided
2. Communication Breakdowns: Invitees not receiving proper notifications
3. Access Problems: Security clearance and logistical complications
4. Quality Control: Need for better operational standards

Professional Conduct Concerns

1. Overpromising: Pattern of making commitments without follow-through
2. Professional Presentation: Inappropriate behavior and arrangements
3. Trust Issues: Unreliable communication and planning
4. Reputation Risk: Potential damage to faith community credibility

Strategic Opportunities

Immediate Opportunities

• Faith Advisory Council: Help improve operational standards and planning
• White House Access: Facilitate future meetings with proper advance notice
• Network Expansion: Connect with additional high-value faith leaders
• Event Planning: Support large-scale faith events and initiatives

Long-term Development

• Operational Infrastructure: Build proper systems for faith-based political engagement
• Quality Control: Establish standards for faith community representation
• Network Curation: Identify and connect key stakeholders
• Policy Advocacy: Support faith-based policy initiatives

Gary's Role and Potential

Strategic Partnership:

• Dr. Mitchem recognizes Gary's potential to help improve faith-based political infrastructure
• Interest in including Gary in future White House meetings and initiatives
• Mutual respect for operational excellence and strategic thinking

Operational Support:

• Help improve planning and communication systems
• Support quality control and professional standards
• Assist with network curation and relationship management
• Provide strategic guidance on faith-based political engagement

Conclusion

This conversation revealed Dr. Denise Mitchem's sophisticated understanding of faith-based political networking while maintaining high operational standards. Her White House visit experience demonstrated both her access capabilities and the operational challenges in faith-based political engagement. She shows particular concern about maintaining the reputation of faith communities and emphasizes the importance of proper planning and follow-through.

The conversation highlighted Dr. Mitchem's strong operational instincts and her commitment to maintaining high standards in faith-based political work. Her assessment of Lael Alexander revealed deep concerns about professional accountability and the potential damage to faith community reputation from unreliable behavior.

Dr. Mitchem appears to be positioning herself as a key connector in the faith-political ecosystem while building sustainable infrastructure for faith-based policy advocacy. Her relationship with Gary Sheng is based on mutual respect for operational excellence and strategic thinking, with clear opportunities for collaboration in improving faith-based political infrastructure.