Vice hires former Obama Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco as COO NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Vice Media has reportedly hired former Obama administration Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco to serve as the multi-billion dollar news outlet's chief operating officer, effective January 2015. "When presented with the opportunity to join Vice, I didn't hesitate in accepting," Mastromonaco, who served as one of Obama's top aids from 2005 until May 2014, said in a statement. I have always been drawn to an organization made up of people who know exactly what they stand for, where they're going, and how they want to get there. Even as Vice continues to flourish and grow, they've remained true to their mission: telling important, compelling stories in a way others don't, in a visceral way. Behind Vice is an eclectic cast of some of the sharpest and most creative minds in media, and I'm thrilled to be joining the ranks, albeit a little less young than most. "I believe that there is no one out there better or more uniquely suited in their skill set of managing chaos than Alyssa," praised Vice co-founder and CEO Shane Smith. Smith described the former White House employee as the ideal candidate to run the $2.5 billion media news outlet because, "The only thing in this world crazier and more freaky than Vice right now is the U.S. Government." At the time of her departure, Mastromonaco told CBS News even though her time at the White House was ending, she's always available to help her former boss. We've been through a great adventure, and what [President Obama] said was, 'You can go and you can take some time off. But you know, we're together forever, and I need you around.' And he's like, 'You have to tell me that's the deal,' and I said, 'Of course.'