Mona Charen is a syndicated columnist and political analyst living in the Washington, D.C., area.

She graduated with honors from Barnard College, Columbia University, and then earned a degree in law from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Charen began her career at National Review magazine, where she served as an editorial assistant. She described herself on her very first tax return at the age of 22 as a “pundit.”

In 1984, Charen joined the White House staff, serving first as Nancy Reagan’s speech writer 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 closely with Communications Director Patrick Buchanan on the president’s overall communications strategy.

In 1986, Charen left the White House to join the presidential campaign of then-Rep. Jack Kemp as a speech writer.

Charen began her syndicated newspaper column with Creators Syndicate in 1987, and it has become one of the fastest-growing newspaper columns in the industry. It is featured in more than 200 papers.

Charen is a regular panelist on the CNN political roundtable show The Capital Gang and a frequent guest on other television and radio public affairs programs.

She is married and has three children.