Karen Andre is the former White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She’s dedicated her life to public service and advocacy and has an active hand in organizing Haitian-American communities all over the country.
The Haitian American born in New York and raised in Florida had been a state-level political operative in various roles since 2004. Andre has advocated for Haitian and African-American communities on social justice issues ranging from criminal justice reform to immigration issues, including helping mobilize for the passage of the Haitian Refugee and Information Fairness Act (HRIFA)
As a testament to her civic service, Andre was named one of South Florida’s 50 Most Powerful Black Professionals and one of 20 South Florida Freedom Sisters by the Ford Motor Company. She was inducted into the Haitian Round Table’s 1804 List of Haitian-American Change-makers. In 2019, and honored in the inaugural class of Next Generation Cultural Crusaders by the Ayiti Community Trust.
Andre was recently appointed by President Biden as Associate Director for Consumer Education and External Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Previously, Andre served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Agency Personnel, after her historic turn as Senior Advisor for Florida & Senior Advisor for National Faith Outreach in the 2020 presidential election.
She also served as a Senior Advisor to Andrew Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor of Florida. From 2014 to 2017.
Ms. Andre is a sought-after political strategist, professional speaker, host, trainer and commentator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida International University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law.
