CJ is from New Jersey and Vermont. She completed her undergraduate studies at Duke University, where she concentrated on Literary Theory, French, and Arabic. While at Duke, she received funding to conduct several months of research in Senegal for her thesis, and served as the vice president of the university's equestrian team. Since graduating in 2007, CJ served as a staff member on the Obama for America campaign, logging over eighteen months working on field strategy in five battleground states. Following the campaign, CJ joined the Obama Administration, most recently appointed as a policy director in the National Security Council in the White House. In this position, she advised senior White House staff, managed the U.S. Government policymaking process, and authored reports for the President and National Security Advisor. CJ is a certified doula, and has assisted in six natural childbirths since 2009. She enjoys reading, the slow food movement, and iyengar yoga.