The White House Correspondents' Association announced today that Saturday Night Live's Cecily Strong will be the entertainer at our annual dinner on April 25, 2015.
"Her political humor is sly and edgy, and it comes with a Chicago accent. Cecily grew up in suburban Oak Park, Ill. and got her start in Chicago's comedy scene with stints at iO and Second City," said WHCA President Christi Parsons.
Journalists are perennial targets for the WHCA entertainer, but Cecily has an edge: Her father, Bill Strong, served as Associated Press bureau chief in the Illinois Statehouse. Strong will be the fourth woman to serve in this role.
Founded in 1914 to represent the White House press corps, the association works to maintain independent news media coverage of the president, advocating for access, handling logistics for pools of reporters who stay close to the president and those who travel with him, and providing scholarships to journalism students.
The annual dinner traditionally draws the President and First Lady as well as many other senior government officials and members of the news media. Proceeds from the dinner go towards scholarships for aspiring journalists and awards recognizing excellence in the profession.
Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews/ NBC Universal
