{{Short description|Haitian American political advisor (born 1978)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ashley Etienne | image = Ashley Etienne, White House Cabinet Communications Director.jpg | office = [[Office of the Vice President of the United States|Communications Director for the Vice President]] | vice_president = [[Kamala Harris]] | deputy = [[Herbie Ziskend]] | term_start = January 20, 2021 | term_end = December 2021 | predecessor = [[Katie Miller]] | successor = [[Jamal Simmons]] | birth_name = Ashley Danielle Etienne | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|2|21}} | birth_place = [[Texas]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | spouse = | education = [[Sam Houston State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br/>[[Johns Hopkins University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) }} '''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]], 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, who is of [[African Americans|African American]] heritage,<ref>{{cite web | title=Meet the Three Black Women Making History on the White House's Communication Team - the National Black Lawyers | url=https://nbltop100.org/meet-the-three-black-women-making-history-on-the-white-houses-communication-team/ }}</ref> was born in [[Texas]]. Etienne earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from [[Sam Houston State University]] in 2000 and a Master of Arts in political communications from [[Johns Hopkins University]].<ref name="Struglinski">{{cite book|last1=Struglinski|first1=Suzanne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1RsjAQAAQBAJ&dq=Ashley+Etienne&pg=PA11|title=The Almanac of the Unelected, 2013: Staff of the U.S. Congress|last2=Young|first2=Samantha|date=2013|publisher=Bernan Press|isbn=978-1-59888-632-0|page=11|language=en|access-date=30 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ashley Etienne Stephens '00 |url=https://www.shsu.edu/dept/office-of-alumni-relations/awards/distinguished/people/stephens.html |website=Sam Houston State University |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>
==Career==
Etienne has worked in political communications since 2001. For two years starting in 2001, she worked as a staff assistant and then communications director for [[Ken Bentsen]], a Texas Congressman.<ref name="https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/13239/Ashley_Danielle_Etienne.html">{{cite news |last1=Barron-Lopez |first1=Laura |title=Hill Climbers: How to Climb Up Capitol Hill's Employment Ladder |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2011/09/14/hill-climbers-how-to-climb-up-capitol-hills-employment-ladder/ |access-date=30 November 2020 |work=Roll Call |date=14 September 2011 |language=en}}</ref> In 2004, she was communications director for [[Chris Bell (politician)|Chris Bell]], followed by a stint at the [[Democratic National Committee]] as deputy director of the southern region. Etienne worked for [[Al Green (politician)|Al Green]] from 2006 until 2008 as communications director. She briefly worked for [[Dewey Square Group]] in 2008 before joining [[Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign]] as a spokesperson. She also ran her own communications firm briefly in 2009. From 2011 to 2013, she was director of communications for the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, working closely with [[Elijah Cummings]].In 2013, she became deputy director of communications for [[Nancy Pelosi]] focusing on freshman congress-members and their messaging.<ref name="Struglinski"/>
After Obama won the election, she served as director of communications for [[Cabinet of Barack Obama|Obama's cabinet]] and special assistant to Obama. After Trump won the election, she made plans to relocate to the West Coast.<ref>Abigail Tracy. (26 August 2020). "If I Can Unseat Him, That Would Be Incredible: Political Strategist Ashley Etienne May Be Biden's Deadliest Weapon Against Trump" [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/08/ashley-etienne-donald-trump-joe-biden-impeachment Vanity Fair website] Retrieved 18 November 2021.</ref>
Nancy Pelosi offered Etienne a job as communications director and senior advisor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bravender |first=Robin |title=Kamala Harris is staffing up with veteran Washington insiders in advance of being sworn in as the country's first woman vice president. Meet her first White House hires. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-staff-vice-president-white-house-women-hires-2020-12 |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> Etienne discussed the opportunity with Cummings, who told her that she should return to Washington and take the job.<ref>Tracy, 2020</ref> Upon acceptance, Etienne became the first woman and first person of color to hold the position.<ref name="Coleman">{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Justine |title=Biden announces first all-female White House communications team |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/527914-biden-announces-all-female-white-house-communications-team |access-date=30 November 2020 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=29 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref> During her tenure, she oversaw Democratic messaging for the [[First impeachment of Donald Trump|Impeachment of Donald Trump]].<ref name="Tracy">{{cite magazine|last1=Tracy|first1=Abigail|date=26 August 2020|title="If I Can Unseat Him, That Would Be Incredible": Political Strategist Ashley Etienne May Be Biden's Deadliest Weapon Against Trump|language=en-us|magazine=Vanity Fair|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/08/ashley-etienne-donald-trump-joe-biden-impeachment|access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>
In August 2020, she was recruited by [[Anita Dunn]] to serve as senior adviser for strategic planning for the [[Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign]].<ref name="Tracy"/>
Etienne served as the communications director to Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] starting on January 20, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kamala Harris: The Vice President |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/administration/vice-president-harris/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |website=The White House |language=en-US}}</ref> It was announced on November 18, 2021, that she would resign to pursue other opportunities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wright |first1=Jasmine |last2=Vazquez |first2=Maegan |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/01/politics/symone-sanders-leaving-white-house-harris/index.html |title=Symone Sanders, Harris' chief spokesperson, to leave White House |work=[[CNN]] |date=2021-12-02 |accessdate=2021-12-02 }}</ref><ref>Abigail Tracy. (18 November 2021)."Top Kamala Harris aid heads for the exit". [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/11/ashley-etienne-kamala-harris-white-house Vanity Fair website] Retrieved 18 November 2021.</ref> She left office in December 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-etienne-8b786249/ |title=Ashley Etienne |publisher=LinkedIn |access-date=2023-01-14}}</ref>
==Personal life== Etienne is Baptist.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Daniel |last=Lippman |date=5 February 2021 |title=Biden stocks his White House with Ivy Leaguers |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/02/biden-white-house-ivy-league-479298 |work=Politico}}</ref> She is a single mom to a daughter, born c. 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Cindy |date=2021-11-22 |title=What Kamala Harris' outgoing comms chief teaches her 6-year-old daughter about her career |url=https://www.msnbc.com/know-your-value/what-kamala-harris-outgoing-comms-chief-teaches-her-6-year-n1284331 |access-date=2024-09-29 |work=MSNBC |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Etienne, Ashley}} [[Category:1978 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Baptists from Texas]] [[Category:African-American people in Texas politics]] [[Category:African-American women in politics]] [[Category:Obama administration personnel]] [[Category:Biden administration personnel]] [[Category:Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign]] [[Category:Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign]] [[Category:People associated with the 2008 United States presidential election]] [[Category:People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election]] [[Category:Sam Houston State University alumni]] [[Category:Johns Hopkins University alumni]]