Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist and political analyst living in the Washington, D.C. area. She is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. In 1984, Ms. Charen joined the White House staff, serving first as Nancy Reagan’s speechwriter and later as Associate Director of the Office of Public Liaison. In the latter post, she lectured widely on the Administration’s Central America policy. Later in her White House career, she worked in the Public Affairs office helping to craft the President’s communications strategy. Ms. Charen launched her syndicated column in 1987. It is featured in more than 150 newspapers and websites. She spent six years as a regular commentator on CNN’s Capital Gang and Capital Gang Sunday, and has served as a judge of the Pulitzer Prizes. She has served as a fellow at the Hudson Institute and the Jewish Policy Center and is the author of two bestselling books. In 2010, she received the Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism. Ms. Charen is the co-host, with Jay Nordlinger, of the weekly podcast Need to Know, and is a frequent guest on television and radio public affairs programs.