Janelle Carter

With more than 15 years of public policy and political experience, Janelle Carter currently serves as senior advisor and speechwriter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In this role, she works to convey the foreign policy views of Rice, who has been named one of the most powerful women in the world.

Carter comes from a diverse media and public policy background. She spent a decade as a reporter for The Associated Press, working for two years in Jackson, Mississippi before transferring to Washington, D.C. to cover the administration of Mayor Marion Barry. She later did stints covering agriculture and drug policy. Carter joined AP’s congressional team in 1999 and was in charge of health policy coverage, reporting on issues such as abortion, Medicare and elderly affairs.

Since making the switch to political operative, Carter has served under some of politics’ most notable figures. She has been speechwriter to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, deputy director of speechwriting under then-Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans and chief speechwriter to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert.

Ms. Carter’s accolades are numerous. She was a National Press Foundation Health Fellow, was published in the Harvard Health Policy Review and has been featured in numerous publications including the Washington Times, Jet Magazine, National Journal and Congress Daily to name a few. She is an often sought after public speaker who has been featured at universities and schools across the country.

Carter has a bachelor’s in journalism from Florida A&M University and a master’s in political management from George Washington University. She is a native of Moss Point, Mississippi