Jen Psaki | |
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![]() Psaki in the Brady Briefing Room in 2021 | |
34th White House Press Secretary | |
Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Deputy | Karine Jean-Pierre |
Preceded by | Kayleigh McEnany |
White House Communications Director | |
In office April 1, 2015 – January 20, 2017 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Jennifer Palmieri |
Succeeded by | Sean Spicer |
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State | |
In office April 5, 2013 – March 31, 2015 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Deputy | Marie Harf |
Preceded by | Victoria Nuland |
Succeeded by | John Kirby |
White House Deputy Communications Director | |
In office December 19, 2009 – September 22, 2011 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | Daniel Pfeiffer |
Succeeded by | Jennifer Palmieri |
White House Deputy Press Secretary | |
In office January 20, 2009 – December 19, 2009 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Leader | Robert Gibbs |
Preceded by | Tony Fratto |
Succeeded by | Bill Burton |
Personal details | |
Born | Jennifer Rene Psaki December 1, 1978 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Gregory Mecher (m. 2010) |
Children | 2 |
Education | College of William & Mary (BA) |
Jennifer Rene Psaki (/ˈsɑːki/; born December 1, 1978)[1][2][3] is an American political advisor serving as the 34th and current White House press secretary.[4] A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Obama administration as the White House deputy press secretary (2009); the White House deputy communications director (2009–2011); the spokesperson for the United States Department of State (2013–2015); and the White House communications director (2015–2017).[5] Psaki was a political contributor for CNN from 2017 to 2020.[6]
Psaki was born in Stamford, Connecticut, to Dimitrios "James" R. Psaki and Eileen Dolan Medvey.[7] Her father is a retired real estate developer, whose grandfather had emigrated from Greece in 1904 and whose grandmother was of Irish descent,[8] while her mother is a psychotherapist.[9] She is of Irish, Greek, and Polish descent[10] and has two younger sisters.[11] She graduated from Greenwich High School in 1996. In 2000, she graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in English and sociology.[12] She is a member of the Chi Omega sorority.[13] At William & Mary, Psaki was a competitive backstroke swimmer for the William & Mary Tribe athletic team for two years.[13][14]
Psaki began her career in 2001 with the re-election campaigns of Iowa Democrats Tom Harkin for the U.S. Senate and Tom Vilsack for governor. Psaki then became deputy press secretary for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. From 2005 to 2006, Psaki served as communications director to U.S. representative Joseph Crowley and regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.[15]
Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign of U.S. senator Barack Obama, Psaki served as traveling press secretary.[15] After Obama won the election, Psaki followed Obama to the White House as Deputy Press Secretary and was promoted to Deputy Communications Director on December 19, 2009.[16][17] On September 22, 2011, Psaki left this position to become senior vice president and managing director at the Washington, D.C., office of public relations firm Global Strategy Group.[18][19]
In 2012, Psaki returned to political communications as press secretary for President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.[20] On February 11, 2013, Psaki became spokesperson for the United States Department of State.[20] Her hiring at the Department of State fueled speculation that she would replace White House Press Secretary Jay Carney when he left the White House,[21] but, on May 30, 2014, it was announced that Josh Earnest would replace Carney. In 2015, she returned to the White House as communications director and stayed through the end of the Obama administration.
On February 7, 2017, Psaki began working as a political commentator on CNN.[2]
In November 2020, Psaki left CNN and joined the Biden-Harris transition team.[22] Later that month, Psaki was named as the White House press secretary for the Biden administration.[23][24][25] She held her first press briefing on the evening of January 20, after the inauguration.[26]
On May 6, 2021, in an interview with former senior advisor to the President David Axelrod, Psaki suggested she would depart from the position of press secretary "in about a year from now".[27][28]
In 2010, Psaki married Greg Mecher, then chief of staff to Congressman Steve Driehaus. Later, Mecher served as chief of staff to Congressman Joe Kennedy.[29] The couple met at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006. They have two children.[30]
Psaki is of Irish, Greek and Polish descent with her Greek roots in Messinia through her father James R. Psaki
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jen Psaki. |
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Victoria Nuland |
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State 2013–2015 |
Succeeded by John Kirby |
Preceded by Jennifer Palmieri |
White House Director of Communications 2015–2017 |
Succeeded by Sean Spicer |
Preceded by Kayleigh McEnany |
White House Press Secretary 2021–present |
Incumbent |
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Presented content of the Wikipedia article was extracted in 2021-06-13 based on https://en.wikipedia.org/?curid=26412082