President Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, held the first media briefing of his administration after his inauguration Wednesday evening, vowing to bring “truth and transparency” back to the White House.
Psaki, a veteran of Democratic campaigns and administrations, will be the face of the all-female senior White House communications team as Biden settles into his presidency.
Here’s what to know about the background of the new president’s top spin doctors.
Career
Psaki, who was raised in Connecticut, has worked for Democrats in Washington since at least 2004, when she served in John Kerry’s presidential campaign.
From there, she moved onto both of President Obama’s campaigns and served as the top State Department spokesperson during his second term. By the end of Obama’s time in office, she had graduated to be his communications director starting in 2014.
She did not work for Biden’s 2020 campaign, and instead worked as a CNN political commentator and private public relations adviser, according to the report.
Education
Psaki graduated from Willam and Mary College in 2000 with a double major in English and sociology, according to the school’s website. She was also on the school’s swim team and in the Chi Omega sorority.




Family
In 2010, Psaki married Gregory Mecher, a fellow veteran of Democratic Washington. Mecher has worked for both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and former Rep. Steve Driehaus, a Democrat from Ohio.
Colleagues in the administration
Psaki will be joined by a number of Obama-administration and Biden campaign veterans in the White House press shop, including Karine Jean Pierre, who will be deputy press secretary, and Pili Tobar, who will be deputy communications director.
Kate Bedingfield, who served as the Biden campaign’s communications director, will take on the same role in the White House.



