Karine Jean-Pierre

Karine Jean-Pierre served as the White House Press Secretary and Special Advisor to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. from May 2022 until January 2025. She holds the distinction of being the first Black person and first openly queer person to serve as the White House Press Secretary. Jean-Pierre was a trusted advisor to President Biden, with senior communications and political roles in the Biden Administration, during the Biden campaign, and previously in the Obama Administration.

Before joining the Biden campaign, Jean-Pierre served as Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveOn.org and as an NBC and MSNBC Political Analyst. She also held the position of Deputy Press Secretary under Jen Psaki from 2021 to 2022. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre worked as the Chief of Staff for U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

In her time in the Obama-Biden administration, Jean-Pierre served as Regional Political Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs and as Deputy Battleground States Director for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She was also Southeast Regional Political Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign. Beyond her campaign work, Jean-Pierre was a Campaign Manager for the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Initiative, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Legislative and Budget Affairs for two members in the New York City Council.

Before diving into her political career, Jean-Pierre was a lecturer in international and public affairs at Columbia University. She also worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, advocating for major companies to change their business practices. Jean-Pierre is the author of "Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America". In June 2025, she announced her departure from the Democratic Party to become an independent and published her second book, "Independent: A Look Inside the White House, Outside the Party Lines." Born in Martinique and raised in New York, Jean-Pierre is a graduate of Columbia University.