Mr. Reed said he came to rely on Ms. Kagan to lead White House briefings on complicated policy issues because of her ability to bring together people with different viewpoints.
Mary Wooley, the president of ResearchAmerica, an advocacy group, said Mr. Simon had an unusual ability to bring together diverse groups of people to focus on a problem.
What often goes less remarked upon is the fact that he possessed an extraordinary ability to bring together the natural world of his present – the first half of the 17th century – and mythological and religious subject matter of a timeless interest.
Her broad interest in art contributed to her imaginative, keen sense of style and her ability to bring together disparate objects in aesthetically pleasing and surprising ways.
In a statement, Jeffrey Stein, Ms. Rice's campaign manager, said that her success raising money reflected her ability to "bring together a coalition of grass-roots and institutional supporters".
"We'd have a greater ability to bring together these coalitions of conservatives, the economic and the social and the national security conservatives, and be the best candidate to unite the party," Mr. Madden said.
While the present administration is expected to continue, with a smooth hand-over at the top, the future will certainly provide vital tests of Mr Cowen's ability to bring together disparate elements.
Ms. Bachety, now the executive director of the Babylon Industrial Development Agency, said of Mr. Baranello: "Most of us remember him for his ability to bring together diverse groups.
And I appreciate not only your straightforward style, but also your ability to bring together seemingly disparate bits of information to form a cohesive whole.
"He is a man of gravitas who has the ability to bring together international leaders, but the situation in Syria is unique and brutal," said Salman Shaikh, a Syria expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC.
