Ashley Danielle Etienne (born February 21, 1978) is an American political advisor who served as the communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris. She is the former communications director and senior advisor to

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

, the first woman and person of color to hold the position of Communications Director for the House Speaker. She was also a former special assistant to Barack Obama.

Early life and education

Etienne was born in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Etienne earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

in 2000 and a Master of Arts in political communications from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Career

Etienne has worked in political communications since 2001. For two year starting in 2001, she worked as communications director for

Ken Bentsen Kenneth Edward Bentsen Jr. (born June 3, 1959) is an American lobbyist and former politician from Texas, serving four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He is the nephew of former senator and secretary of the ...

, a Texas state legislator. From 2001 to 2013, she was director of communications for the

United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...

, working closely with Elijah Cummings. In 2004, she was communications director for Chris Bell, followed by a stint at the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

as deputy director of the southern region. Etienne worked for

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

from 2006 until 2008 as communications director. She briefly worked for

Dewey Square Group The Dewey Square Group (DSG) is a political consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The company was initially started in 1992 by political strategists Charlie Baker, Chuck Campion and Michael Whouley, and headquartered in Boston. In 2005, DSG ...

in 2008 before joining the

Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign The 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama began on February 10, 2007, when Barack Obama, then junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in Springfield, Illinois. After winning a ma ...

as a spokesperson. She also ran her own communications firm briefly in 2009. In 2013, she became deputy director of communications for

focusing on freshman congress-members and their messaging. After Obama won the election, she served as director of communications for Obama's cabinet and special assistant to Obama. After Trump won the election, she made plans to relocate to the West Coast. Nancy Pelosi offered Etienne a job as communications director and senior advisor. Etienne discussed the opportunity with Cummings, who told her that she should return to Washington and take the job. Upon acceptance, Etienne became the first woman and first person of color to hold the position. During her tenure, she oversaw Democratic messaging for the

Impeachment of Donald Trump The impeachment of Donald Trump may refer to: * First impeachment of Donald Trump, the 2019 impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress ** Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump ** First impeachment trial of Donald Trump ...

. In August 2020, she was recruited by

Anita Dunn Anita Dunn ( Babbitt; born January 8, 1958) is an American political strategist serving as a senior advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden, having originally held the post from January 20, 2021 to August 12, 2021, and returning May 5, 2022. Previo ...

to serve as senior adviser for strategic planning for the

Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign Former vice president Joe Biden began his presidential campaign on April 25, 2019 by releasing a video announcing his candidacy in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. The campaign concluded with him and his running mate Kamala H ...

. Etienne served as the communications director to Vice President Kamala Harris starting on January 20, 2021. It was announced on November 18, 2021 that she would resign to pursue "other opportunities." She left office in December 2021.

Personal life

Etienne married Nigel Stephens on March 27, 2015, at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. Etienne is Baptist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etienne, Ashley 1978 births Living people Obama administration personnel Biden administration personnel Nancy Pelosi Kamala Harris Sam Houston State University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni