First lady's chief of staff to step down

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Susan Sher, chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama, will return to Chicago after the first of the year, Obama's office announced Tuesday.

Sher began working in the White House Counsel's Office in January 2009, working on the administration's healthcare reform effort, the White House said in a release.

In June 2009, Sher was named as chief of staff for Michelle Obama.

"Susan has been both a colleague and a dear friend for decades, and I have been grateful every day for her leadership and wise counsel in Washington," Obama said in a statement.

"I also very much appreciate her generosity in staying longer than she initially planned -- spending so many months away from her family in Chicago -- to help me build my office in the East Wing. I wish her all the best."