President Obama will appoint Georgetown University Law Center visiting professor John Podesta (LAW ’76) to his administration.

As reported in the New York Times, Podesta will soon begin a one year term as counselor to President Obama after helping to lead the president’s transition to the Oval Office in 2008. Podesta also served in the first Clinton administration as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff.

Podesta has been a summer faculty member at the Law Center since 1997. He began teaching at the Law Center as a visiting professor in 1995.

As founder and former head of the Center for American Progress, a D.C. based public policy think tank, Podesta promoted a progressive agenda focused on health care, immigration, and energy issues.

Regarded as one of the Democratic Party’s most experienced strategists, Podesta will help offset the loss of a number of close advisers to Obama in coming months including Pete Rouse, the president’s counselor and a leading Congressional expert.

According to The New York Times, Podesta will largely assist McDonough on issues related to health care law, administration organization and executive action.