Zev Karlin-Neumann

 

​Zev Karlin-Neumann’s writing has been ranked one of “The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever” by NPR, listed as a bestseller by the New York Times, and called “biased and ignorant” by an Internet commenter.

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Zev founded Just Write Communications after a decade-and-a-half helping leaders tell their stories and advance their agendas, from the C-suite to Capitol Hill, and from the campaign trail to the White House.

 

Most recently, Zev served as a speechwriter and senior advisor to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, traveling around the world with the Secretary to communicate U.S. foreign policy. Earlier in the Biden Administration, Zev managed writing, social media, and other communications responsibilities for Domestic Policy Advisor Susan E. Rice and the White House Domestic Policy Council.

 

Zev was the chief speechwriter on Pete Buttigieg’s historic 2020 presidential campaign, which elevated Mayor Pete into President Biden’s Cabinet and saw him become one of the Democratic Party’s most well-known and effective communicators.

 

In the Obama White House, Zev served on the National Security Council staff, where he wrote speeches for National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice and President Barack Obama.

 

From 2017 to 2019, Zev worked as the speechwriter to then-Senator Kamala Harris, helping her establish the national profile that led her to be elected the first woman Vice President of the United States.

 

He began his career at West Wing Writers, a speechwriting and strategy firm, drafting speeches, op-eds, books, and other messaging for leaders ranging from Fortune 500 CEOs to heads of state.

 

A Bay Area native, Zev graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors and distinction from Stanford University. He lives in Washington, D.C with his wife, a civil rights attorney, and their two daughters.

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