Martha Joynt Kumar

Martha Joynt Kumar
Giving a tour of the White House press corps offices in 2017
Occupation	Political scientist

Martha Joynt Kumar is an American political scientist. She is professor emerita of Political Science at Towson University and currently serves as the director of the White House Transition Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit formed of scholars of the American presidency who prepare information for incoming White House staff. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Early life and education

Martha Joynt Kumar was raised in the Washington D.C. area. She attended independent preparatory school St. Agnes School before attending Connecticut College, where she earned a BA in government. Kumar then earned an MA in political science from Columbia University. After earning her masters degree, she taught at Tennessee State University and worked as a researcher for the Election Unit of NBC News. Kumar later returned to Columbia to earn her PhD in political science. ^[4]

Work

Kumar has authored several books on the presidency and the press. ^[5] In 1981 she coauthored the book Portraying the President: The White House and the News Media alongside Michael Grossman. The book analyzed the relationship between mass media and the Office of the President. ^[6] In 2015, Kumar published the book Before the Oath: How George W. Bush and Barack Obama Managed a Transfer of Power. ^[7] In 2008, Kumar's book Managing the President’s Message: The White House Communications Operation won the Richard E. Neustadt Award for Best Book on the Presidency. ^[8]

In 2018, Kumar received the President's Award from the White House Correspondent's Association. ^[9]

In 2019, Kumar published a report on presidents' interactions with reporters, titled Six Presidents and Their Interchanges with Reporters at 30 Months: 892 Days into an Administration. ^[10]

References

1. "Alumni Profile: Martha Joynt Kumar ('72PhD, Political Science) | GSAS". www.gsas.columbia.edu.
2. Baker, Peter (August 12, 2007). "A Modern History Of White House Spin". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 21, 2025.
3. "Kumar Discusses Presidential Transition". Connecticut College.
4. "Martha J. Kumar | IBM Center for The Business of Government". www.businessofgovernment.org. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
5. "Retired TU professor recognized for service to White House press". Towson University. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
6. Regenstreif, Peter (November 1982). "Portraying the President: The White House and the News Media. Michael Baruch Grossman , Martha Joynt Kumar The Washington Reporters. Stephen Hess Media Power Politics. David L. Paletz , Robert M. Entman" . The Journal of Politics. 44 (4): 1128–1131. doi:10.2307/2130685. ISSN   0022-3816 – via University of Chicago Press Journals.
7. "MARTHA JOYNT KUMAR: Before the Oath: How George W. Bush and Barack Obama Managed a Transfer of Power". Shorenstein Center. June 26, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
8. "Award Recipients – Presidents and Executive Politics (Section 9)" . Retrieved January 20, 2025.
9. "Towson Professor Emerita To Be Honored At White House Correspondents' Dinner". WBAL Baltimore News.
10. Kumar, Martha Joynt (August 14, 2019). "Kumar report on president's interactions with reporters". The Washington Post.