Blake Kernen, Press Secretary, U.S. Senate

Kernen last spoke on a communications panel at WeLead2025. She is a published author, political and congressional communicator, and nonprofit board member. She currently serves at Press Secretary for Maine Senator Susan Collins. In the 2024 cycle, she served as campaign spokeswoman for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s campaign for the U.S. Senate. Previously, she was press secretary for the House Budget Committee, and Senator Steve Daines’s speechwriter and deputy press secretary.

Kernen has been passionate about the intersection of politics and journalism from a young age, since she published her book "Your Teacher Said What?! Defending Our Kids from the Liberal Assault on Capitalism" with her father when she was 11 years old. She has been featured on NBC, CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, and the Today Show, and has been a keynote speaker at Harvard Business School, Adam Smith Society, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Kernen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.