Patrick Hubert Gaspard (born July 26, 1967) is an American former diplomat who served as president of

Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy think tank, research and advocacy organization which presents a Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal viewpoint on Economic policy, economic and social issues. CAP is headquarter ...

, a liberal

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

. A noted Democratic Party leader and strategist, Gaspard served as executive director of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

from 2011 to 2013. Gaspard served as United States Ambassador to South Africa from 2013 to 2016. Prior to his appointment to lead CAP, Gaspard served as president of the

Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...

from 2017 to 2020.

Early life

Patrick Hubert Gaspard was born in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

, to parents from

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. His parents had moved to Congo at the behest of revolutionary leader

Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba ( ; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 192517 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as the Republic o ...

, who urged French-speaking professionals to move to the country. Gaspard moved with his parents to the United States when he was three years old, and he was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Gaspard graduated from

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is a public specialized high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is on ...

and attended

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

from 1984 to 1987.

Career

New York City politics

Gaspard's political career began in New York City, where he worked on Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. In the 1989 New York City mayoral election, Gaspard worked on

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...

' successful campaign. Gaspard went on to serve as a special assistant in the Office of the Manhattan Borough President and as a special assistant in Dinkins' mayoral office. From 1998 to 1999, Gaspard was chief of staff to the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

. After leaving city hall, Gaspard became an aide and advisor to Lower East Side councilwoman Margarita Lopez. Gaspard was an advisor on Bill de Blasio's successful bid in the 2013 New York City mayoral election. Then- Public Advocate de Blasio personally thanked him in his primary victory speech, one of the few non-family members mentioned. In September 2013, he brokered peace between de Blasio and his primary rival Bill Thompson following a contentious contest.

National politics

From 2003 to 2004, he worked for Governor

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...

's 2004 presidential campaign as the National Deputy Field Director, and in 2004, was the National Field Director for America Coming Together. Gaspard spent nine years as the executive vice president for politics and legislation for the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

, the largest local union in America. Gaspard initially rejected the opportunity to work on

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

presidential campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...

in 2007 but later got the SEIU to endorse him. He officially joined the campaign as a political director in June 2008.

Obama Administration and DNC

After Obama's election, he was named as Associate Personnel Director of President-elect Obama's transition team under Jim Messina. He was the Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs for the

Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

from January 2009–11. Smith, Ben (January 20, 2011)
"Gaspard to DNC, Dillon to re-elect"
''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

''. Retrieved December 4, 2020. Gaspard served as the Executive Director of the

from 2011–13, overseeing the party committee's efforts to re-elect President Obama.

Ambassador to South Africa

It was leaked in March 2013 that President Obama was planning to nominate Gaspard to the post of United States Ambassador to South Africa. His Senate confirmation hearing was held on July 24, 2013, and he was sworn into the post on August 26, 2013. He served in this position until 2016. As Ambassador to South Africa, Gaspard worked to strengthen civil society and worked in partnership with the South African government to develop the country’s healthcare infrastructure and land ownership mitigation and to support innovations in local governance. During his tenure, Gaspard worked to connect South African entrepreneurs to United States markets; develop clean, renewable, and efficient energy technologies; and to end wildlife trafficking. Gaspard has been credited with helping the Obama Administration redesign PEPFAR to more efficiently work within South Africa's healthcare system.

Post-ambassadorship career

In September 2017, Gaspard replaced Chris Stone as president of the

. Gaspard served in this capacity until December 2020, when he was replaced by Mark Malloch Brown, a British Lord, Baron, and diplomat. Following the 2020 presidential election, media outlets reported that Gaspard was under consideration for the role of Secretary of Labor. However, this position was instead filled by Boston Mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...

. In the early stages of the

2021 New York City mayoral election The 2021 New York City mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election. On June 22, 2021, the primary elections for the Democratic Party (United States), ...

, Gaspard reportedly advised Maya Wiley on her campaign. On June 30, 2021, liberal think tank

(CAP) announced that Gaspard would become its President and CEO, replacing Neera Tanden who left to become an advisor to

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

. ''Politico'' described Gaspard's new role as "powerful," due to the Biden administration's close ties to CAP. In May 2024, Gaspard forcefully defended the right of United States university students to

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

the growing

humanitarian crisis A humanitarian crisis (or sometimes humanitarian disaster) is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or exter ...

in Gaza during the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

. Opinion piece.

Personal life

Gaspard is married and has two children. He is

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Gaspard is known for his love of poetry, and has cited poet and politician

Aimé Césaire Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...

as a key inspiration of his. Gaspard is also an admirer of Russian poet

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...

. Gaspard has reportedly taken part in

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

and

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

performances in his spare time. Gaspard has received honorary doctorates from

(2018) and

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

(2021). Gaspard is a close friend of

Bill de Blasio Bill de Blasio (; born Warren Wilhelm Jr., May 8, 1961; later Warren de Blasio-Wilhelm) is an American politician who was the List of mayors of New York City, 109th mayor of New York City, mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of t ...

, the 109th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

. The pair met while working on David Dinkins' 1989 mayoral campaign, and bonded over their shared progressive political views and familial ties to the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

: Gaspard's parents are from Haiti.

Other activities

Central European University Central European University (CEU; , ) is a private research university in Vienna. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, which are accredited in Austria and the United States. The univ ...

(CEU), Member of the Board of Trustees * Paris Peace Forum, Member of the Steering CommitteeGovernance
Paris Peace Forum.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaspard, Patrick 1967 births African-American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to South Africa American trade union leaders American politicians of Haitian descent American community activists Living people Obama administration personnel Center for American Progress people Service Employees International Union people Columbia University School of General Studies alumni African-American Catholics