Michelle Obama replaces her chief of staff with long-time pal

Washington, June 5 (ANI): Just four months into the Barack Obama administration, U.S. First lady Michelle has replaced her chief of staff Jackie Norris with White House lawyer Susan Sher.

Issuing a news release late afternoon on Thursday, the White House made an announcement regarding Michelle's first staff upheaval, but did not offered any explanation for the change.

Michelle described both women as her friends in a statement.

Reports suggest that Sher is Michelle's long-time friend from Chicago, while Norris is a relatively new one from Iowa.

The new position of Norris, who met Michelle during the early days of the Iowa caucuses, will be of senior adviser to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which provides grants to service organizations and promotes volunteerism. It also oversees programs such as AmeriCorps and Senior Corps.

Sher will step into her new job having worked in both the East and West wings on legal issues and health care reform. She has known the First Lady for more than a decade, as their career paths have been intertwined.

"(Norris had) built a strong organization in the East Wing and made tremendous progress on issues that are important to me and the President, particularly in the area of national service," the Washington Post quoted Michelle as having noted in Thursday's announcement.

In her statement, Michelle described Sher as a "trusted advisor, long-time mentor and friend", and predicted that her "transition to chief of staff will be seamless." (ANI)