Katherine Joan Bedingfield (born October 29, 1981) is an American political advisor who is the

White House Communications Director The White House communications director or White House director of communications, also known officially as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the president of the United States. The officeholder is resp ...

in the

Biden administration Joe Biden's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 46th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Joe Biden, his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat from Delaw ...

. She served as deputy

campaign manager {{Political campaigning A campaign manager, campaign chairman, or campaign director is a paid or volunteer individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote ...

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 ...

and former communications director for Biden when he was Vice President in the Obama administration.

Early life and education

Kate Bedingfield was born on October 29, 1981, and raised in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

. Her parents are Dana H. and Sid E. Bedingfield. She attended Sandy Springs Middle School and graduated from Riverwood High School. She earned her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

Career

Career in politics

Bedingfield worked on the

John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign The 2008 presidential campaign of John Edwards, former United States Senator from North Carolina and Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004 began on December 28, 2006 when he announced his entry into the 2008 presidential election in the ...

as spokesperson. She also served as communications director for the 2008 senate campaign for

Jeanne Shaheen Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen ( ; née Bowers, born January 28, 1947) is an American retired educator and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Hampshire since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Shaheen served as the 78t ...

. In 2015, Bedingfield was named communications director for then

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...

Joe Biden. She also held two additional roles in the Obama administration: director of response, and deputy director of media affairs. Bedingfield served as deputy

for the

. Her work on the campaign led to '' Fortune'' naming Bedingfield one of the most influential people under the age of 40 in government and politics.

Biden administration

In November 2020, Bedingfield was designated

for the

. In late July 2022, Bedingfield reversed the decision announced weeks earlier to leave her position as White House Communications Director.

Private sector

In November 2011, Bedingfield started working at the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distri ...

(MPAA). In May 2013, Bedingfield was named spokesperson and vice president of corporate communications at the MPAA. After working in the Obama administration, Bedingfield returned briefly to sports and entertainment communications.

Personal life

Bedingfield married David Kelley Kieve on January 12, 2013, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. Bedingfield and Kieve have two children together.

References

External links

Kate Bedingfield's profile
from the Biden-Harris transition website * * *Bill Barrow (March 26, 2020)
"Meet the masterminds behind Biden's surge: women operatives"
from the ''

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedingfield, Kate 1981 births 21st-century American businesswomen American campaign managers American telecommunications industry businesspeople Biden administration personnel Living people Motion Picture Association people Obama administration personnel People from Sandy Springs, Georgia University of Virginia alumni Washington, D.C., Democrats