Karen Kornbluh

Karen Kornbluh was sworn in as Ambassador and U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in August, 2009. Prior to her appointment, Ambassador Kornbluh was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for American Progress, where she contributed to “The Shriver Report: a Woman’s Nation Changes Everything” and developed a proposal for a Green Bank. Ambassador Kornbluh served as Policy Director for then-Senator Barack Obama from 2005-2008 and authored his 2008 Party Platform. She founded the Work and Family Program at the New America Foundation where she was also a Markle Technology Policy Fellow. There, she argued for reforming institutions to better meet the needs of two-income “juggler families,” a term which she coined, and to increase U.S. competitiveness. Ambassador Kornbluh has published articles on economic policy in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic Monthly. Previously, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Treasury Department; Assistant Chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s International Bureau; Director of the Commission's Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs; and economic policy advisor to Senator John Kerry. She began her career as an economic forecaster and management consultant to U.S. manufacturing companies. Ambassador Kornbluh received her Masters from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College.