New White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is known for her understated approach to the podium compared to her predecessor. Her press briefings and gaggles don’t make much news. A question-and-answer session aboard Air Force One last week barely registered on social media.

But Jean-Pierre, age 44 and the first black and openly LGBT White House spokeswoman, is no shrinking violet. She has a long track record in Democratic politics, activism, and punditry. After serving in a variety of positions in former President Barack Obama’s campaigns and White House, followed by a stint as Martin O’Malley’s deputy campaign manager during his short-lived bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, she was a political analyst for MSNBC and the chief public affairs officer for the left-wing group MoveOn.