Jennifer Rene Psaki (/sɑːkiː/; born December 1, 1978) is the former White House Communications Director. She previously served as a spokesperson for the United States Department of State and in various press and communications roles in the Obama White House. She is a contributor on CNN.
Psaki is of Greek and Polish ancestry. She was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1996 and the College of William & Mary in 2000. She is a member of the Chi Omega sorority. At William & Mary, Psaki was a backstroke swimmer for the William & Mary Tribe athletic team for two years.
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 (D-NY) and regional press secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.