In the coming weeks, she will become the first black and openly gay person to serve as White House press secretary, but she has been making her mark in Washington, DC, for years.
President Joe Biden announced Thursday that Jean-Pierre, the current deputy White House press secretary, will take over the role after Jen Psaki steps down on May 13 to reportedly take on a job at MSNBC.
Jean-Pierre taught at Columbia University and worked for former President Barack Obama and the Biden-Harris presidential campaign. Jean-Pierre was a top candidate for the press secretary position last year, but the job went to Psaki.
Jean-Pierre was born to Haitian parents on the island of Martinique. She moved to New York City at 5 years old and grew up in Queens.
Jean-Pierre has spoken about how her immigrant background has inspired her politics.
Growing up in an immigrant household defined me. She said in an interview that it taught her to work hard.
When Jean-Pierre told her parents she was going to work for Obama, they said she was changing the world.
She received her bachelor's degree from the New York Institute for Technology in 1997 and went on to graduate from Columbia University in 2003 with a Master's of Public Affairs.
The 44-year-old came out as a lesbian at the age of 16 and has written about it on the internet.
Jean-Pierre said he came out to his mom when he was 16. After that, my sexuality became a family secret and it would stay that way for a long time.
Jean-Pierre said her mom is proud of her.
Suzanne Malveaux is a CNN correspondent.
In her memoir Moving forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work and the Promise of America, Jean-Pierre talks about how her gender and sexuality affect her career in politics.
Jean-Pierre has been open about her criticisms of former President Donald Trump, including his implementation of a travel ban for Muslim-majority countries.
Jean-Pierre said that he was everything Donald Trump hates. I am gay. I am a mother. Both my parents were born in Haiti and came to the US for the American dream.
After Trump referred to a few countries as "shithole countries", Jean-Pierre called him out during a speech at the University of Michigan.
The land of my ancestors, the land of my heritage, the land of my parents, was called an s-hole by the President of the United States. He signed a proclamation to honor Dr. King a day after making those racist remarks.
Jean-Pierre worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics. She has worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, as a political analyst for MSNBC and NBC, as chief public affairs officer for MoveOn, and as a lecturer at Columbia University.
She had a career in politics. She worked on a number of presidential campaigns. She worked at the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama administration.
She was the first openly gay and second Black woman to ever hold a White House press briefing.
Jean-Pierre said that if you are passionate about what you want to be or where you want to go, it will happen.
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