Meet The Women of Joe Biden’s White House: Karine Jean-Pierre

Who in the world is Karine Jean-Pierre, and why should I care?

• President Joe Biden specifically wanted Karine Jean-Pierre to take her current position at the White House.

How She Works

• Jean-Pierre is the new White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary to Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
• So what is the difference between the Press Secretary and the Director of Communications, formally the Assistant to the President for Communications? Communications handles strategic planning regarding President Biden’s formal statements to Americans. The Press Secretary handles what the president wants people to know daily.
• Jean-Pierre’s job is to pull together and share information for the President, the White House staff, and the media.

 What Shaped Her?

• Jean-Pierre’s parents are from Haiti, and Karine was born in Martinique. Then, they emigrated to Queens, New York.

Her Quote:

• She is a lesbian and commented about her time in the Obama Administration:
  

  ‘What’s been wonderful is that I was not the only. I was one of many. President Obama didn’t hire LGBT staffers, he hired experienced individuals who happen to be LGBT. Serving and working for President Obama where you can be openly gay has been an amazing honor. It felt incredible to be a part of an administration that prioritizes LGBT issues.’

What You May Not Know — Yet

• When Vice President Kamala Harris was running for President, against the sitting president, she spoke at a MoveOn event. Jean-Pierre was moderating the forum when a man jumped on the state and moved quickly toward Harris trying to steal away her microphone. Jean-Pierre instinctively placed her body between Harris and the protester until security took him away.

Volunteer Work

• Jean-Pierre frequently demonstrated for human rights.
• She worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics.
• She pushed major corporations to alter their practices toward their employees, such as Walmart.

Education

• She earned a degree from the New York Institute of Technology and an MPA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
• She worked as a faculty member lecturing in international and public affairs at Columbia University.

Career

Candidates:

• John Edwards, southeast regional political director
• President Barack Obama’s campaign, first term, regional political director for the White House Office of Political Affairs.
• President Obama’s National Deputy Battleground States director in 2012. Additionally, she was in charge of delegate choices and ballot access.
• Martin O’Malley’s presidential campaign in 2016.
• President Joe Biden’s senior campaign advisor in 2020
• VP Kamala Harris’ chief of staff.

Media

• NBC News, MSNBC political analyst
• MoveOn.org national spokesperson.
• Book: Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America.

She is the eighth in the series Meet The Women of Joe Biden’s Administration: Karine Jean-Pierre. I hope you enjoy hearing about this remarkable woman as much as I enjoyed writing her. You will like her.

Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.

Sources