Robin Colleen Carnahan (born August 4, 1961) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the
Missouri Secretary of State and served as the
Administrator of General Services
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gove ...
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, and ended on January 20, 2025. Biden, a member of the Democr ...
from 2021 to 2025. She is the daughter of
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
politicians
Mel
Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to:
Biology
* Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL)
* National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL
People
* Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...
and
Jean Carnahan
Jean Anne Carnahan (née Carpenter; December 20, 1933 – January 30, 2024) was an American politician and writer who was the First ladies of Missouri, First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States sena ...
. In 2010, she was the Democratic nominee in the
U.S. Senate election in Missouri to replace retiring Republican Senator
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel Bond (March 6, 1939 – May 13, 2025) was an American attorney and politician from Missouri. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from 1987 to 20 ...
but lost to
Roy Blunt
Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he pre ...
. She was then a senior advisor at the global strategy firm
Albright Stonebridge Group
Albright Stonebridge Group, part of DGA Group, is a global business strategy firm based in Washington, D.C., United States. It was created in 2009 through the merger of international consulting firms The Albright Group, founded in 2001 by former ...
. In 2013, Carnahan was named a fellow at the
University of Chicago Institute of Politics
The Institute of Politics (IOP) is an extracurricular nonpartisan political institute associated with the College of the University of Chicago and the Harris School of Public Policy designed to inspire students to pursue careers in politics and ...
. In February 2016, she joined the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...
as the director of the state and local practice at
18F, a role she held until January 2020. She then became a fellow at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
.
On April 6, 2021, President
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 ...
nominated her to serve as the administrator of the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...
. Her nomination was confirmed by the US Senate on June 23, 2021, and she was sworn into office on July 2.
Early life, education and career
Carnahan grew up near
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla () is a city in and the county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States. Its population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. It is approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. Its micropolitan sta ...
, the only daughter in a family of four children. She attended
Rolla High School
Rolla Senior High School is a public secondary school located in Rolla, Missouri, United States. The school's mascot is the Bulldog with the colors of maroon and silver (formerly maroon, gray, and gold). The high school offers many clubs, inclu ...
and graduated, ''
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'', from
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri ...
in
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willia ...
, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
.
Carnahan received her
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...
in 1986, where she was the executive editor of the ''
Virginia Journal of International Law
The ''Virginia Journal of International Law'' is a law journal that was established in 1960 at the University of Virginia School of Law. As of 2023, it is the world's 4th most influential international law journal. Pieces published in the ''Journa ...
''.
Career
Legal and consulting work
Following graduation from law school, she returned to Missouri to practice business and corporate law with the
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
firm of
Thompson & Mitchell.
In 1990, Carnahan went to work in central Europe as part of a team from the
National Democratic Institute
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is a non-profit American non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to "support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability". It is ...
. In this role, she helped draft voting laws, train new political leaders and monitor elections in
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. Since then, she has led international election observer delegations and promoted democracy in a dozen countries and currently serves on NDI's board of directors. During the Clinton Administration, Carnahan served as special assistant to the chairman of the
Export–Import Bank of the United States
The Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the official export credit agency (ECA) of the United States federal government. Operating as a wholly owned federal government corporation, the bank "assists in financing and facilitating ...
, working on programs to help U.S. companies increase exports of US goods and services. Later, Carnahan founded and managed an international trade and business consulting firm to advise public and privately held US companies expanding into global markets.
As of December 2005, Carnahan continued to manage her family's farm and Angus cattle operation outside of Rolla, Missouri.
Missouri secretary of state
On November 2, 2004, Carnahan was elected as Missouri's 38th
secretary of state. In her first bid for elected office, she defeated then-Speaker of the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
Catherine Hanaway
Catherine Lucille Hanaway (born November 8, 1963) is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor and Republican candidate for Missouri Governor who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri from 2005 to 2009 ...
by over 120,000 votes. In November 2008, Carnahan was reelected with nearly 62% of the vote by receiving over 1.7 million votes, the most votes ever cast for a candidate in Missouri history. In 2005 she was named one of 24 "rising stars" in American politics by the
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home.
Its stated miss ...
's Rodel Foundation, a leading nonpartisan think tank.

As CEO of a $50mm government agency, Carnahan emerged as a national leader in pioneering the use of innovative technology to save money and improve government service delivery for businesses and citizens. To reduce red-tape and costs for businesses, she worked closely with business leaders to identify service improvements, increase online business filings by more than 80%, streamline regulations and reduce filing fees by over $19 million. As the state's securities regulator during the 2008 financial crisis, Carnahan gained national recognition for negotiating record settlements on behalf of investors in a number of high-profile cases, including a national settlement in August 2008 in which
Wachovia Securities
Wachovia Securities was the trade name of Wachovia's retail brokerage and institutional capital markets and investment banking subsidiaries. Following Wachovia's merger with Wells Fargo and Company on December 31, 2008, the retail brokerage beca ...
agreed to repay over 40,000 investors who had nearly $9 billion frozen in auction-rate securities accounts.
Carnahan also worked to increase open access to public documents and data by expanding online availability of information through the Missouri State Archives and
Missouri State Library.
In 2008, Carnahan worked with Missouri's local election authorities to ensure all eligible Missourians had access to the ballot box. She has been a strong advocate for
early voting
Early voting, also called advance polling or pre-poll voting, is a convenience voting process by which voters in a public election can vote before a scheduled Election Day (politics), election day. Early voting can take place remotely, such as v ...
, paper ballots and better training for Election Day poll workers.
Carnahan served as co-chair of both the Elections and Securities Committees of the
National Association of Secretaries of State
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), founded in 1904, is the oldest non-partisan professional organization of public officials in the United States, composed of the secretaries of state of U.S. states and territories. Current ...
. She also served on the executive committee and as Chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State.
Carnahan's tenure in office focused on providing outstanding customer service to Missouri businesses, financial professionals, investors, voters, genealogists, researchers and hundreds of thousands of other customers. In the closeout audit at the end of her term in 2013, Republican State Auditor Thomas Schweich gave Carnahan's office the highest possible performance rating of "excellent".
2010 U.S. Senate campaign

On February 3, 2009, Carnahan announced she would run for the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
in 2010 to replace retiring U.S. Senator
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel Bond (March 6, 1939 – May 13, 2025) was an American attorney and politician from Missouri. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from 1987 to 20 ...
, saying it is time to "stop the political bickering and start solving problems". She was elected the Democratic nominee in the primary election held August 3, 2010.
In October, Carnahan was endorsed by the ''
Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes.
''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'', the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...
'', and ''
The St. Louis American''. However, Carnahan was defeated by Republican
Roy Blunt
Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he pre ...
as part of a Republican wave of victories in the midterm election.
Post-political career and public service
After leaving public office, Carnahan joined the global strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group, founded by former U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...
. She remained in Missouri and began advising civic technology firms and organizations seeking to help government deliver better services for citizens and cut costs for taxpayers through smarter use of technology. She is a board member and serviced as a strategic adviser for
LaunchCode, an organization that connects people to economic opportunity through paid apprenticeships in programming and technology. She has been regularly featured in the media and spoken before numerous national groups and congressional and legislative committees on finance, regulatory and elections issues.
In 2013 Carnahan was named a Fellow at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
's non-partisan
Institute of Politics. Carnahan also serves on the Board of Directors of
the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and on the National Advisory Committee of the Democracy Fund.
In February 2016, Carnahan joined the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...
as the director of the state and local practice of
18F. There, she led a team of digital technology consultants who provide consulting and acquisition services to help state and local agencies apply the best practices of human-centered design, agile development, and modular procurement.
Carnahan often speaks about using innovation and technology to improve delivery of government services, including at
Tech@State, the
Code for America
Code for America is a 501(c)(3) civic tech non-profit organization that was founded by Jennifer Pahlka in 2009, "to promote ‘civic hacking’, and to bring 21st century technology to government." Federal, state, and local governments often lack ...
Summit, Personal Democracy Forum and the 2016 IT Solutions Management Conference, ''FedScoop'' named Carnahan as one of the Top Women in Tech 2017.
Personal life
Carnahan comes from a family that has been active in Missouri politics for several generations. Her grandfather,
A. S. J. Carnahan, was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat from south-central
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. He served only one term before being defeated in 1946, but ran again in 1948 and won. Carnahan served in the House for six more terms and in 1961 was appointed by President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
as the first American ambassador to Sierra Leone. Her father,
Mel Carnahan
Melvin Eugene Carnahan (February 11, 1934 – October 16, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in governm ...
, served in the state legislature, as
State Treasurer
In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...
,
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
and as
Governor of Missouri
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
from 1993 until his death in 2000 in a plane crash while campaigning for the US Senate against incumbent
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...
. Her mother,
Jean Carnahan
Jean Anne Carnahan (née Carpenter; December 20, 1933 – January 30, 2024) was an American politician and writer who was the First ladies of Missouri, First Lady of Missouri from 1993 to 2000, and served as the state's junior United States sena ...
, became the first woman from Missouri to serve in the United States Senate from 2001 to 2003 when she was appointed to fill the seat Gov. Carnahan won posthumously.
Her brother
Russ Carnahan
John Russell Carnahan (born July 10, 1958) is an American politician from the state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 to 2013.
At the time, the district included the southern thir ...
was a member of Congress and represented the southern portion of the
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
Metropolitan Area. Her brother Tom Carnahan founded Wind Capital Group. Robin Carnahan is married to Juan Carlos Antolinez.
On February 27, 2006, Carnahan announced that she had been diagnosed with
breast cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
. She continued to serve as Secretary of State while undergoing treatment and her cancer is in remission.
[Wagman, Jake]
Carnahan, a breast cancer survivor, assembles team for Komen race.
''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', May 17, 2010.
Electoral history
Results
References
External links
Robin Carnahan for U.S. Senate''official campaign site''
*
*
Campaign contributionsat
OpenSecrets.org
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector and ...
Missouri Digital Heritage
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnahan, Robin
1961 births
American women in business
Businesspeople from Missouri
Carnahan family
Living people
Missouri Democrats
Missouri lawyers
People from Rolla, Missouri
Politicians from St. Louis
Secretaries of state of Missouri
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
William Jewell College alumni
Women in Missouri politics
Biden administration personnel
Administrators of the General Services Administration
21st-century Missouri politicians
21st-century American women politicians