Donna Brazile

Renowned Political Strategist and Commentator, Former Interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Photo of Donna in a teal blouse looking into the camera with a black background
  • Expert political strategist and bestselling author
  • Worked on every Presidential campaign since 1976
  • Named one of the “100 Most Powerful Women” by Washingtonian magazine
  • Appeared in Netflix series “House of Cards”

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Donna Brazile is a veteran political strategist, New York Times bestselling author, Senior Advisor at Purple Strategies, Chair of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and sought-after Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning media contributor to such outlets as ABC News, USA Today, The Hill and theGrio.

She became the first African American woman to serve as the manager of a major party presidential campaign, running the campaign of former Vice President Al Gore.  She previously served as interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee and of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute.  She is a current member of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. 

She is author of the 2004 best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics and the 2017 New York Times Bestseller Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-Ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump In The White House. She is a co-author of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, which won the 2019 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction. Ms. Brazile is a contributor to the recently published 400 Souls:  A Community History of African America, 1619-2019.

She serves as an adjunct professor in the Women and Gender Studies Department at Georgetown University and served as the King Endowed Chair in Public Policy at Howard University and as a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. She has lectured at nearly 250 colleges and universities on diversity, equity and inclusion; women in leadership; and restoring civility in American politics.

She is the proud recipient of more than ten honorary doctorate degrees from major colleges and universities, including her alma mater Louisiana State University. In October 2017, Ms. Brazile was the recipient of the W.E.B Du Bois Medal, Harvard’s highest honor in African American studies.  Ms. Brazile was the recipient of a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program, Good Morning America (2016-2017) in connection with her work with ABC and she was a member of the Peabody Award-winning “Best Political Team on Television” on CNN during the 2008 election cycle.

She moonlights as an actress and is especially honored to have made three cameo appearances on CBS’s The Good Wife, and two cameo appearances on Netflix’s series House of Cards. She also appeared as herself on BET's Being Mary Jane. Most recently she played herself in the Zack Snyder film Army of the Dead. Ask her and she’ll tell you that acting, after all, is the key to success in politics.

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Speaker Video

Donna Brazile Accepting the 2016 Wonk Award

A Conversation With Ana Navarro and Donna Brazile

Ron Brownstein and Donna Brazile: CNN 2016 Campaign Insights

Ron Brownstein and Donna Brazile: CNN 2016 Presidential Campaign Insights

Donna Brazile: Northeastern Illinois University's Commencement Address

Political Duo: Donna Brazile and Doug Sosnik

Political Perspective. Veteran political strategist, Donna Brazile, delivers an in-depth look at the current Administration, the state of the current Congress, and the country’s political landscape. She analyses the hot political topics of the day, using behind-the-scenes insight gained from her days on the campaign trail and working alongside some of the biggest names in Washington. Brazile’s balanced scrutiny of politics and current events, from the view-point of a media veteran, gives audiences an entertaining and edifying experience they won’t soon forget.

Passion for Politics. Donna Brazile weaves together a captivating political narrative drawing on anecdotal stories from her decades work in Washington. Recalling moments working on every presidential campaign since 1984, heading the Gore-Lieberman campaign, serving as chief of staff and press secretary to Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), serving as interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, and working as top Democratic political strategist, Brazile offers a comprehensive picture of the political environment, and gives an original perspective on the trends shaping and driving the mood of the country.  

Diversity and Inclusion: Expanding the Circle of Opportunity and Why it Matters. Donna Brazile was the first African American woman to manage a presidential campaign and is known for her work promoting diversity. An expert on political and socio-economic issues, she sits on the board of the Professional Diversity Network and looks at why expanding the circle of opportunity for minorities helps everyone succeed and how diversity is the key to success both in the board room and in Washington, DC.

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