Allison Astorino-Courtois
Dr. Allison Astorino-Courtois is Executive Vice President at NSI, Inc. She has also served as co-chair of a National Academy of Sciences study, entitled Strategic Deterrence Military Capabilities in the 21st Century, and as a primary author on a study, entitled The Defense and Protection of US Space Assets. For the past 15 years, Allison has served as the Technical Lead on US Joint Staff-directed Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) projects in support of US Combatant Commands and Services. She is an expert in decision analysis, project design, and building conceptual and methodological foundations for quantitative and computational analysis. Projects for Combatant Command leadership have included the development of methodologies and analysis identifying the dynamics driving complex (multi-actor, multi-dimension) regional conflict systems; projecting the expected durability and viability of violent extremist organizations; determining provincial stability on US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan; assessing and tracking future economic, political, and social stability and future trajectories of nation-states and non-state actors; systematic, cognitive decision theory-based methods for identifying what deters specific actors under different conditions; and a variety of deterrence strategy and assessment methods and analyses.
Previously, Allison was a Senior Analyst at SAIC (2004-2007), where she served as a US Strategic Command liaison to US and international academic and business communities. Prior to SAIC, Allison was a tenured Associate Professor of International Relations at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX (1994-2003), where her research focused on the cognitive aspects of foreign policy decision making. She has received a number of academic grants and awards and has published articles in multiple peer-reviewed journals. Allison also taught at Creighton University and as a Visiting Instructor at the US Military Academy at West Point. She earned her PhD in International Relations and MA in Research Methods from New York University. Her BA is in Political Science from Boston College. Finally, Allison has the distinction of having been awarded both a US Navy Meritorious Service Award and a US Army Commander’s Award.
Sarah Canna
Sarah Canna is a Principal Analyst at NSI, Inc. She is responsible for managing research teams, analysis, deliverables, and senior leadership briefings for classified and unclassified US Government human and socio-cultural behavior projects. Recent efforts relate to strategic deterrence, anticipating the future operational environment, geopolitical competition below the threshold of war, information and influence operations, and state stability in the Middle East and Africa. Sarah serves as the research coordinator for the US Joint Staff-directed Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA), which provides decision and planning support to Combatant Command and Service leaders facing complex operational and technical imperatives that require collaborative, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary, and mixed-method analyses. She serves as a lead editor and integrator of reports and proceedings focused on topics, such as strategic competition, integrated deterrence, violent extremism, and adversarial intent. She also developed NSI’s Virtual Think Tank (ViTTa™) capability, designed to help military planners understand complex socio-cultural dynamics at play in evolving conflict situations by rapidly eliciting insights from an extensive expert network. This methodology has been employed in support of the US Joint Staff, USAFRICOM, USSTRATCOM, USCENTCOM, USINDOPACOM, USSOCOM, USEUCOM, USTRADOC, DHS Science & Technology, and the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization office. Sarah has a MA in Technology and Security from Georgetown University and a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from American University.
Elbridge Colby
Elbridge Colby is co-founder and principal of The Marathon Initiative, a policy initiative focused on developing strategies to prepare the United States for an era of sustained great power competition. He is the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict (Yale University Press, 2021), which The Wall Street Journal selected as one of the top ten books of 2021.
Earlier in his career, Colby served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development from 2017-2018. In that role, he served as the lead official in the development and rollout of the Department’s preeminent strategic planning guidance, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS). Colby also served as the primary Defense Department representative in the development of the 2017 National Security Strategy.
Colby has also worked as the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where he led the Center’s work on defense issues from 2018-2019, and earlier was a senior fellow at both CNAS and at CNA.
Over the course of his career, he has also served in a variety of U.S. Government roles working on strategic forces, arms control, and intelligence reform matters, including serving with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq in 2003 and with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence during its stand-up in 2005-2006. Colby has also served on the staff of a number of government commissions, including the 2014 National Defense Panel, the 2008-2009 Strategic Posture Commission, and the 2004-2005 President’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (or “Iraq WMD intelligence”) Commission.
Colby publishes widely both in the United States and abroad and has testified a number of times before Congress and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Colby is a recipient of the Distinguished and Exceptional Public Service Awards from the Department of Defense and of the Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards from the Department of State. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Colby is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.
Nathan Colvin
Nathan Colvin is a Public Policy Fellow at the College of William and Mary. He is in the fourth year of his Ph.D. study at Old Dominion University in International Studies, with concentrations in Cooperation & Conflict and Modeling & Simulation. He is also studying Russian language and culture at Ohio State University. As an Army researcher, LTC Colvin led the development of federated, large-scale simulation research projects on the future of warfare. Later, he became the Chief of the Joint and Multinational Wargaming branch and worked across services from dozens of nations. His previous research at the School of Advanced Military Studies in 2013-2014 used a Complex Adaptive Systems approach to understand how exponential technological growth could contribute to expanding transnational technocracies with simultaneous cultural balkanization. His current dissertation looks at the role Stability Policing plays in Multi-Domain Operation
Dr. Cynthia Cook
Cynthia Cook is director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is widely published on defense acquisition policy and organization, the defense industrial base, new technology development, and weapon systems production and sustainment. Dr. Cook is a member of the editorial board for the Defense Acquisition Research Journal and is an adjunct professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. From 1997 to 2021, Dr. Cook worked as a senior management scientist at RAND, where she served as the director of the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center and managed a wide range of studies for components across the U.S. Department of Defense, along with the Australian Department of Defense and the UK Ministry of Defense. Previously, Dr. Cook was a research specialist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working on the Lean Aerospace Initiative. Before her graduate studies, Dr. Cook worked in New York as an investment banker, specializing in high-yield finance. She holds a PhD in sociology from Harvard University and a BS in management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Major John Concepcion
Major John Concepcion was the Commander, 43d Comptroller Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. He acted the Chief Financial Advisor for the 43d Air Mobility Operations Group. In this role, he led 32 military and civilian Airmen delivering financial support, analysis, and program management to 2,170 military and civilian personnel, providing travel and accounting support to 24 units and four Air Force Major Command tenants. Additionally, Major Concepcion directed the budgeting and execution of a 24 million dollar budget and oversees 120 million dollars of fiscal transactions in support of the 43d Air Mobility Operations Group, and 6 subordinate squadrons. Major Concepcion also maintained administrative command of 72 members from 17 Group Staff Agencies.
Major John Concepcion was the Budget Chief of Contingency Operations for SOCAFRICA, J8. As Chief of Contingency Operations, he oversaw 58 million dollars in Major Force Program Army that executes funds supporting Joint Special Operations Task Force – Somalia and Special Operations task Force – Northwest Africa. He was responsible for ensuring an 11-million-dollar USSOF exercise was performed on budget and on schedule. Major Concepcion is a key advisor to the SOCAFRICA on all questions related to funding on the African continent and a key member on the Operation Planning Team.
Major John Concepcion was the Acting Chief of Program Control for the GEOINT Ground System Program Office in the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Chantilly, Virginia. As Acting Chief, he served the Ground Enterprise Division principal financial advisor ensuring proper use of $480M+ in operating cost for the NRO ground stations.
Major Concepcion received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Howard University, Washington, D.C. He is joined by his wife, Yongmei Concepcion, and two children. He is currently a student of Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB.
Rear Admiral Thomas Donovan
Rear Admiral Thomas Donovan is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia. He graduated the United States Naval Academy in 1996 and earned a Master’s in Defense Analysis from the Naval Post Graduate School. He began his career as a SEAL after completing Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training class 208 in 1996.
His operational assignments include duty as Assistant Platoon and Platoon Commander with SEAL Team THREE. At Naval Special Warfare Development Group, he served as both a mobility and assault troop commander at Naval Special Warfare Tactical and Development Squadron FOUR. He served Executive Officer and Plank Owner of TACDEVRON FIVE and Commander of TACDEVRON TWO. He served as Deputy Commander and later as Commanding Officer, Naval Special Warfare Development Group.
His staff duty assignments include service as the United States Special Operations Command Legislative Affairs Directorate, Washington D.C. and Naval Special Warfare Officer Detailer in Millington, Tennessee. He served as Deputy Operations Officer and Operations Officer at the Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg North Carolina. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the Executive Officer to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff. RDML Donovan currently serves on the Joint Staff as Deputy Director for Global Operations.
Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria II
Professor Antulio J. Echevarria II had a distinguished career in the US Army and is currently a professor of strategy at the US Army War College and the Editor-in-Chief of the US Army War College Press, which includes Parameters. He holds the General Douglas McArthur Chair of Research, and is a graduate of the US Military Academy, the US Army Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College. He also holds a doctorate in modern history from Princeton University, and is the author of six books, including After Clausewitz (Kansas 2001), Imagining Future War (2007), Clausewitz and Contemporary War (Oxford 2007), Reconsidering the American Way of War (Georgetown 2014), Military Strategy: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2017), and War’s Logic: Strategic Thought and the American Way of War (Cambridge 2021) as well as more than one hundred articles and monographs on strategic thinking, military theory, and military history. He completed a NATO Fulbright Fellowship in 2000-01, and a Visiting Research Fellowship at Oxford University in 2011-12, and 2022-23; he is a Senior Research fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, an Adjunct Fellow at the Modern War Institute, and an Adjunct Professor at the Indonesian Defense University. He formerly held the US Army War College Elihu Root Chair of Military Studies.
Tyler Faist
Tyler (Ty) Faist is an accomplished graduate student at the University of West Florida, currently pursuing a
Master of Arts in International Affairs with a 3.90 GPA. Tyler’s research experience includes multiple projects working with the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (7th SFG) to analyze economic and security-related activities of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America, as well as exploring Russian activity in the information domain as well as their activity across the African continent in coordination with the National Security Agency (NSA). Professionally, Tyler currently serves as a Senior Intelligence Analyst within the Mobile Police Department’s Cyber Intelligence Unit where he specializes in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) collection and analysis.
Daniel Flynn
Mr. Dan Flynn is a senior manager at the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) responsible for strategic foresight analysis and analytic gaming related to national security issues. Mr. Flynn joined SAIC in April 2023 after serving more than 40 years in the US Intelligence Community.
Prior to joining to SAIC, Mr. Flynn served from 2018 to 2023 as first Director of the IC Net Assessments (ICNA) for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In this position, Mr. Flynn was responsible for developing forecasts and comparative assessments to identify emerging challenges and opportunities for US intelligence capabilities.
Prior to establishing ICNA, Mr. Flynn was the first Director of the Global Security Program at the National Intelligence Council, (NIC). In this position, he led national-level assessments of long-term and crosscutting military-security issues for senior US policymakers and defense officials. His work informed the development of US national security and defense strategies, including the 2018 National Defense Strategy. He also was an advisor to several Defense Science Board studies.
Mr. Flynn also helped write several of the NIC’s Global Trends reports, including the 2017 Global Trends: Paradox of Progress.
Prior to joining the NIC, Mr. Flynn served in multiple positions at CIA as an analyst and manager responsible for assessments of foreign weapons, technologies, and military innovations. He established CIA’s “Future of Warfare” program to assess foreign approaches to future war to inform DoD strategy and military transformation efforts.
Mr. Flynn was a member of CIA’s Senior Analytic Service (SAS) and former Chairman of the SAS Council. He also served as the CIA’s first Occupation Leader for Scientific, Technical, and Weapons Intelligence (S&T/W) responsible for promoting the career and expertise development of CIA’s S&T/W analysts.
From 2004 to 2005, Mr. Flynn served as a senior staff member for The President’s Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. His duties included leading research on the IC’s capabilities to support future US military operations, perform strategic assessments, and conduct scientific and technical analysis leading to several of the Commission’s recommendations.
Mr. Flynn received multiple awards and commendations during his intelligence career including the Director of National Intelligence’s Distinguished Career Service Award. Mr. Flynn is a “Distinguished Graduate” of the National War College earning an M.S. in National Security Strategy. He also earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.
COL Joseph Funderburke
COL Funderburke currently serves as the Senior Military Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies within the National Defense University, based in Washington, D.C. Joe’s professional history includes his participation as a National Security Fellow in M.I.T.’s prestigious Seminar XXI, and his roles as a graduate-level educator teaching advanced leadership and strategy at Georgetown University and Syracuse University. His government service is highlighted by his tenure as the Director of Strategic Planning for the National Security Council at the White House, and as a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. His legislative experience includes a fellowship in the U.S. House of Representatives. With over three years of combat duty, primarily in the Middle East with Special Operations Task Forces, he has considerable field experience. His academic credentials are equally impressive, with a B.S. from West Point, a M.A. from the Naval War College in National Security and Strategic Studies, a M.P.S. in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University, and a Ph.D. in Security Studies from the University of Central Florida.
John Goolgasian III
John Goolgasian is the founder and President of Seerist Federal, leading all U.S. government-related operations at Seerist across multiple departments including Defense, Intelligence, Homeland Security, State, and Federal Civilian organizations. His career in intelligence and geospatial analysis spans over two decades, with significant contributions to both the private sector and U.S. government agencies.
From 2017 to 2022, John served as the President and Chief Growth Officer at Geospark Analytics, where he played a pivotal role in business operations, sales growth, and product innovation. He initially joined OGSystems as an Associate Partner in 2016, spearheading an AI research and development project aimed at automating global threat and risk assessments. This project led to the creation of Geospark Analytics, which under John’s leadership secured a crucial 5-year, $95 million contract with the U.S. government. The technology developed has been widely adopted across various U.S. government sectors, Fortune 1000 companies, and NGOs and is now the basis of the Seerist threat and risk intelligence platform.
Earlier in his career, John held significant roles at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), including Director of Source Operations and Management Directorate and Director of the Foundation GEOINT Group. John also contributed to counterterrorism efforts as the Director of the Office of Counterterrorism and other leadership roles within the NGA, helping to enhance geospatial intelligence methodologies and applications.
John’s government career commenced in 1993 with the Defense Mapping Agency, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Mary Washington College. He furthered his education with a Post Graduate Degree in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College. His exemplary service has been recognized with several awards, including the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction and the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award.
Through his career, John has demonstrated a commitment to enhancing intelligence, security, and geospatial capabilities, markedly advancing the fields of threat intelligence and geospatial analysis.
Admiral Christopher W. Grady
A native of Newport, Rhode Island, Admiral Christopher W. Grady graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 and received his commission through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program. Grady is also a distinguished graduate of both Georgetown University, where he participated as a fellow in Foreign Service at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and the National War College.
A career Surface Warfare Officer, Grady served aboard USS Moosbrugger (DD 980) as combat information center officer and antisubmarine warfare officer. As a department head, he served as weapons control officer and combat systems officer aboard USS Princeton (CG 59). He then commanded Mine Countermeasures Rotational Crew Echo aboard USS Chief (MCM 14), and later deployed to the Arabian Gulf in command of USS Ardent (MCM 12). Grady subsequently commanded USS Cole (DDG 67), deploying as part of NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean. In command of Destroyer Squadron 22, he deployed to the Arabian Gulf as sea combat commander for the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in support of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM.
Ashore, Grady served in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then as naval aide to the Chief of Naval Operations, as the assistant branch head of the Europe and Eurasia Politico-Military Affairs Branch (OPNAV N524), as executive assistant to the Navy’s Chief of Legislative Affairs, as the deputy executive secretary of the National Security Council in the White House, and as the executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations.
As a flag officer, he first served as Director of Maritime Operations, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (N2/3/5/7), then subsequently commanded Carrier Strike Group 1/Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, where he deployed for nearly 10 months to the Western Pacific and the Arabian Gulf conducting combat operations in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE. He later served as Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic; Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet/Commander, Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO/Deputy Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Naval Forces Africa. From May 2018 until December 2021, he served as the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and the Naval Component Commander to both U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Strategic Command, as the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander for U.S. Strategic Command and executed Task Force Atlantic in coordination with U.S. Naval Forces Europe.
Admiral Grady was sworn-in as the twelfth Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s second highest-ranking military officer, on 20 December 2021. The admiral represents the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council and chairs the Joint Requirement Oversight Council (JROC) which is responsible for reviewing and establishing acquisition priorities for major weapon systems amongst the military branches. He also co-chairs the Deputy’s Management Action Group (DMAG) and the Deputy’s Workforce Council (DWC) with the deputy secretary of defense to address departmental budgetary priorities and serves as the senior member of the Nuclear Weapons Council, responsible for managing the atomic stockpile and coordinating nuclear weapon-related programs and budgets.
The admiral is currently the Navy’s “Old Salt”, its longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty.
Lieutenant General (Ret) Michael Groen
Michael served over 36 years in the Marine Corps, culminating his career as the Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, and the senior executive for AI in the Department of Defense. He previously served at the National Security Agency, overseeing Computer Network Operations, and as the Director of Joint Staff Intelligence (JSJ2), working closely with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Groen is an experienced Marine commander and multi-tour combat veteran. He has earned Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics. He is the author of, With the First Marine Division in Iraq, No Greater Friend, No Worse Enemy.
Dr. Richard Hass
Dr. Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and respected scholar of international relations, is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also senior counselor with Centerview Partners, an international investment banking advisory firm. He previously served as CFR’s president for twenty years, in the State Department under Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, at the White House under George H.W. Bush, and at the Pentagon under Jimmy Carter. He was US envoy to the Cyprus negotiations and the Northern Ireland peace process, and after 9/11 was US coordinator for the future of Afghanistan. Dr. Haass is the author or editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His latest book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens, was published by Penguin Press in January 2023 and became a New York Times best seller. He also authors a weekly newsletter, Home & Away, available on Substack. A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Haass holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, the masters and doctorate of philosophy degrees from Oxford University, and numerous honorary degrees. He is the recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Tipperary International Peace Award. Dr. Haass, who was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Long Island, lives with his wife in New York City.
David Ignatius
David Ignatius is a prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post and has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for nearly four decades. He has written several New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Cheryl Ingstad
Cheryl Ingstad serves as the Deputy Director, Digital Platforms & Developer Ecosystem for the Defense
Innovation Unit (DIU). She most recently served as the Managing Director of the National Security Innovation Network, a subordinate organization of the DIU.
Ingstad brings extensive experience in both government and industry to DIU. She served as the inaugural Director of the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, where she was responsible for coordinating the Department’s development and application of AI. In addition to standing up the new office and achieving approval of its directives and authorities (charter), her team created the Department’s AI strategy and created its first-ever AI coordination capability to track, prioritize and share best practices from 700 AI projects, with goals such as addressing climate change, supporting first responders, and providing COVID insights during the peak of the pandemic.
Prior to DOE, Ingstad led corporate and defense organizations for over 20 years. At 3M, she led critical R&D commercialization efforts in AI/Machine Learning for a business unit with revenue of $12 billion. At the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), she directed intelligence operations and was responsible for standing up new capabilities in joint information operations.
Ingstad has served in an enlisted, NCO, officer and DOD civilian capacity in the Intelligence Community over the course of her career. She qualified as an Intelligence officer, Signal officer, Russian linguist, German linguist, Intelligence Analyst and Human Intelligence Operations Officer.
Her undergraduate degree is from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University and graduate degree from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Both degrees are in International Relations with an area focus on Russia and East Europe.
David Katz
David J. Katz is President & CEO of DARACOM an “advise and assist” strategic competition company teamed with MITRE’s Center for Strategic Competition. He worked as a senior analyst at US Special Operations Command, J35 Transnational Threats Division, Counter Threat Finance for seven years prior to starting DARACOM. At SOCOM, he designed and executed JADE SPEAR, the largest counter-PRC operation since the cold war with more than 29 different US departments, agencies, and offices, 5 allied ministries and 73 action officers. Prior to defense contracting, Mr. Katz worked as an institutional investor and advisor founding his own firm that provided advanced analytics on more than $3 billion of clients’ private equity investments. A West Point graduate, he served in the US Army as an infantry officer and Green Beret captain.
COL Mary King
Colonel Mary M. King is the Chief of Cyber and Electronic Warfare Operations Division. She serves as the Chairman’s advisor and representative for cyberspace operations across the joint force. She is responsible for the development of processes and procedures for the planning, direction, and conduct of cyberspace operations by authorized combatant commanders and supporting agencies and units. She integrates cyberspace operations into the joint operations planning process and is responsible for all Joint Staff planning, warning, and execute orders associated with cyberspace operations.
Colonel King has previously served as the Deputy Chief of Cyberspace Force Development and the principal staff officer responsible for advising the Department of State ‘s Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Political Military Affairs on Smart Power issues as related to integrating the Department of Defense and the Department of State. Additionally, Colonel
King served as the Commander of the 747th Communications Squadron and 375th Communications Support Squadron. She has also held positions as a Flight Commander, an Executive Officer, and Project Manager.
Paul Kruchoski
Paul Kruchoski, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy (R/PPR). R/PPR supports the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs by coordinating policies and resources and equipping practitioners with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals. It is responsible for developing and allocating the $1.4 billion public diplomacy budget, providing policy direction and planning guidance, and performance management for U.S. public diplomacy.
Prior to that role, Paul led the creation and growth of the Research and Evaluation Unit (REU), which helps Public Diplomacy practitioners use evidence and knowledge to make better informed decisions. It aims to integrate the collection and use of evidence into decision-making across the Public Diplomacy community. Previous assignments include Deputy Director of the ECA Collaboratory, Special Assistant in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and several positions in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.
He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati. Outside of his work, Paul is an accomplished cellist.
Dr. Katy Lindquist
Dr. Katy Lindquist is a Principal Research Scientist at NSI, Inc. She has a background in political science with broad and diverse methodological training in quantitative and qualitative approaches to social science. Her substantive expertise is in national and international security, which she uses to support the US Joint Staff’s Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) work. Katy was the team lead and a model developer for the AFRICOM Exploitable Conditions Model (AECM), produced for SMA by NSI. The AECM provides a queryable model of the operational environment, broadly defined to include a variety of human, social, political, ecological, and technological factors, for US Africa Command. Katy has also authored multiple Quick Looks and reports for SMA and has presented research findings to civilian and military decision makers and communities of interest both in-person and virtually.
Prior to joining the NSI team, Katy was a Principal Investigator and Faculty Researcher at START (the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism) at the University of Maryland, and she has also served as a consultant for public and private sector clients. She received a PhD in Political Science is from the University of Chicago, where she studied international relations and comparative politics, as well as a BA from Dartmouth College.
Dr. Thomas Mahnken
Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
He is a Senior Research Professor at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
He currently serves as a member of the Congressionally-mandated 2022 National Defense Strategy Commission and as a member of the Army Science Board. His previous government career includes service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning from 2006–2009, where he helped craft the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review and 2008 National Defense Strategy, in the Office of Net Assessment, and in the Non-Proliferation Policy Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He served as a member of the 2018 National Defense Strategy Commission and on the Board of Visitors of Marine Corps University. He served on the staff of the 2014 National Defense Panel, 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel, the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the Gulf War Air Power Survey. He served for 24 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, including tours in Iraq and Kosovo.
In 2009 he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and in 2016 the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Medal.
Dr. Mahnken is the author of Net Assessment and Military Strategy: Retrospective and Prospective Essays (Cambria Press, 2020), Learning the Lessons of Modern War (Stanford University Press, 2020), The Gathering Pacific Storm: Emerging U.S.-China Strategic Competition in Defense Technological and Industrial Development (Cambria Press, 2018), Arms Races in International Politics from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century (Oxford University Press, 2016), Strategy in Asia: The Past, Present, and Future of Regional Security (Stanford University Press, 2014), Competitive Strategies for the 21st Century: Theory, History, and Practice (Stanford University Press, 2012), Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945 (Columbia University Press, 2008), and Uncovering Ways of War: U.S. Intelligence and Foreign Military Innovation, 1918–1941 (Cornell University Press, 2002), among other works.
Dr. Michael Mazarr
Michael Mazarr is a Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation. Prior to coming to RAND, he was Professor of National Security Strategy and Associate Dean at the US National War College in Washington, D.C. He has served as special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, president and CEO of the Henry L. Stimson Center, senior vice president for strategic planning at the Electronic Industries Alliance, legislative assistant in the US House of Representatives, and senior fellow and editor of The Washington Quarterly at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He served as an intelligence specialist and officer in the US Naval Reserve and holds AB and MA degrees from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs.
Michael Miklaucic
Michael Miklaucic is a Senior Fellow of the National Defense University (NDU), and the Editor-in -Chief of PRISM, NDU’s flagship journal of national and international security affairs. Mr. Miklaucic is also recently named the inaugural Oswaldo Aranha Chair Professor of Security and Defense at the University of Sao Paolo (Brazil), a member of the Academic Faculty at the University of Chicago, and Adjunct Lecturer at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. Previously he served in various positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State, including USAID representative on the Civilian Response Corps Inter-Agency Task Force, as the Senior Program Officer in the USAID Office of Democracy and Governance, and Rule of Law Specialist in the Center for Democracy and Governance. In 2002-2003 he served as the Department
of State Deputy for War Crimes Issues. In that position he was responsible for U.S. relations with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), war crimes issues and negotiations in East Timor and Cambodia, and the early implementation of the Sudan Peace Act. His publications have appeared in The Financial Times, The Diplomat, The Hill, Real Clear Defense, and others. He studied at the University of California, the London School of Economics, and the School for Advanced International Studies.
Julian Mueller-Kaler
Julian Mueller-Kaler is the Director of the Strategic Foresight Hub in the Executive Office at the Stimson Center and also serves as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO. He researches global trends, evaluates the implications of emerging technologies on society and politics, and writes about the rise of populism, US-China relations, and the future of the liberal international order.
Before joining Stimson, Mueller-Kaler was a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council GeoTech Center and the Scowcroft Strategy Initiative where he worked on the geopolitics of technology and lead the GeoTech Center’s AI Connect program. He also serves as a non-resident fellow at the American-German Institute (AGI) in Washington D.C., as an associate fellow at German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin, and previously consulted in the office of the German Executive Director at the World Bank Group. Mueller-Kaler graduated as a Fulbright-Schuman scholar (M.A.) from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a degree in International Relations (B.A.) from a small liberal arts college in southern Germany.
Moisés Naím
Dr. Moisés Naím, a Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a best-selling author and internationally syndicated columnist. He is known for his influential books, such as “Illicit,” “The End of Power,” and “The Revenge of Power,” as well as his innovative weekly television program on global affairs, “Efecto Naím.” Dr. Naím gained international recognition as the editor of Foreign Policy magazine for fourteen years, turning it into an award-winning publication on global politics and economics. Dr. Naím has served as Venezuela’s Minister of Development, director of its Central Bank, and executive director of the World Bank. He is also a member of the board of several major corporations and philanthropic organizations. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT.
Lieutenant General Mike Plehn
Lieutenant General Mike Plehn is the 17th President of the National Defense University. As President of NDU, he oversees its five component colleges that offer graduate-level degrees and certifications in joint professional military education to over 2,000 U.S. military officers, civilian government officials, international military officers, and industry partners annually.
Raised in an Army family, he graduated from Miami Southridge Senior High School in 1983 and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with Military Distinction and a degree in Astronautical Engineering in1988. He is a Distinguished Graduate of Squadron Officer School as
well as the College of Naval Command and Staff, where he received a Master’s Degree with Highest Distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies. He also holds a Master of Airpower Art and Science degree from the School of Advanced Airpower Studies, as well as a Master of Aerospace Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Lt Gen Plehn has extensive experience in joint, interagency, and special operations, including: Middle East Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, and four tours at the Combatant Command level to include U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command, and twice at U.S. Southern Command, where he was most recently the Military Deputy Commander. He also served on the Air Staff in Strategy and Policy and as the speechwriter to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
An Eagle Scout and avid reader, he speaks passable Spanish. In their quiet time, Mike and his wife enjoy watching ice hockey and providing staff assistance to their two cats.
Paul Prokop
Paul Prokop is the Deputy Director of the Regional China Officer Program in the Office of China Coordination (aka China House) at the Department of State. He previously worked in the Global Unit in China House, leading engagement with allies and partners to meet the PRC challenge. Prior to joining China House, he served in the UAE, Singapore, and India, as well as multiple tours in Washington. Prior to joining State, Paul worked for McKinsey, Microsoft, and a Silicon Valley startup. Paul holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and an MBA from MIT.
Lieutenant General (Ret) Lori Reynolds
LtGen Lori Reynolds retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2021 after 35 years of service. In her last post Lori was the Deputy Commandant for Information, a newly created Deputy Commandant billet that recognized the growing importance of the cyber and space domains and the increasing competition in the Information Environment. Lori was responsible for building capabilities and talent across the information technology, cyberspace, space, intelligence, technology and influence areas. She also served as the Commander, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command from 2015-2018, where she led efforts to integrate cyber operations into USMC and joint operations. She is a 1986 graduate of the US Naval Academy.
Lori has extensive experience speaking on leadership, DEI, women, peace and security (WPS), and organizational change, in addition to various technical topics. She currently serves as a Board Director, consultant, and Professor of Practice at the University of Maryland and Naval Post-Graduate School.
Lori Reynolds retired as a Lieutenant General after a 35-year career in the United States Marine Corps. Her service culminated as the Deputy Commandant for Information, a newly established Deputy Commandant that recognized the growing importance of Information, cyberspace, and digital technologies and the new warfighting domains of space and cyberspace. During her career, she commanded Marines at every rank, including command of formations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a General Officer, she commanded the Marine Corps iconic recruit depot at Parris Island, SC, where she was responsible for recruiting and training 20,000 new Marines per year. She subsequently commanded Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, where she completed the build of the Marine Corps’ newest warfighting component and was responsible for the Marine Corps first-ever cyber effects operations in support of the Joint Force.
Lori served as the senior woman in the Marine Corps for 8 years and is an expert in team building, leading diverse teams, managing complexity, risk and talent management, and organizational change management. In her last 6 years in the Marine Corps, she was a Marine Corps Corporate Board member responsible for collaboratively planning $50B annually to support USMC missions and capability development globally. Her executive responsibilities included Deputy Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer for the Marine Corps, Director of Cyber Security, and Director of Intelligence.
Lori earned a BS in political science from the United States Naval Academy, an MS from the Navy War College, and an MS from Army War College. She has voluntarily served as the Chairperson of the Board for the Sea Services Leadership Association and is a member of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association. She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2020 and was the inaugural recipient of the Admiral Grace Hopper Award at the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace.
Since 2021 Lori currently serves on the Board of Directors of the U. S. Bancorp, the Board of Trustees of the American Public University System, the Board of Trustees of the Naval Academy Athletic & Scholarship Program, the Board of Visitors of the Marine Corps University, Department of the Navy CIO USMC Information Chair of the Naval Postgraduate School Visiting Professor of the Practice at Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), and the Informed Defenders Council of AttackIQ.
Dr. Thomas Rid
Thomas Rid is Professor of Strategic Studies and founding director of the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. From April to July 2022 he also is a Kluge Fellow at the Library of Congress.
Rid is the author of the acclaimed Active Measures, a sweeping history of disinformation (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020). His previous book, Rise of the Machines (Norton, 2016), tells the story of how cybernetics, a late-1940s theory of machines, came to incite anarchy and war. His 2015 article “Attributing Cyber Attacks” was designed to explain, guide, and improve the identification of network breaches (Journal of Strategic Studies 2015). In 2013 he published Cyber War Will Not Take Place, now a classic.
Rid’s commentary has appeared in The New York Times and the Washington Post, and he has testified in front of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as well as in the German Bundestag and the UK Parliament. His books are widely translated.
From 2011 to 2016, Rid was a professor in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Between 2003 and 2010, he worked in policy institutes in Berlin, Paris, Jerusalem, and Washington, DC. Rid holds a PhD from Humboldt University in Berlin.
Thomas lives in Georgetown with his wife Annette and two sons.
Catherine Royle
Catherine Royle joined NATO in January 2015 as Political Adviser to the Commander at Joint Force Command Brunssum after a long career as a British diplomat.
Catherine’s first post was in Chile as it transitioned from dictatorship to democracy. In London she subsequently worked on various aspects of UK policy in Iraq until 1997 before going to Dublin. From 2001-2003 she was policy advisor to Peter Hain at Convention on the Future of Europe which resulted in the Lisbon Treaty – and in Article 50.
Catherine spent seven years in Latin America where she served as Deputy Head of Mission in Buenos Aires, and then as British Ambassador to Venezuela during the Presidency of Hugo Chavez.
Catherine was posted to Kabul in September 2010 as Deputy Ambassador at the British Embassy. In August 2012 she took up the role as Head of the Secretariat of the International Police Co-ordination Board with the aim of making international support to policing coherent and effective. That experience inspired her to promote civ-mil cooperation by becoming a civilian in a military HQ, and Catherine’s work on Afghanistan continued in JFCBS. She was a regular visitor and firm supporter of the Police and Ministry of the Interior until the end of the NATO mission.
Her time in NATO has coincided with the return to the core mission of deterrence and defence. She has been actively involved in the defence planning for Eastern & Central Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and helped to build a POLAD network across Allied Command Operations, and the nations in JFC Brunssum’s geographical area.
Catherine is leading a project on assessing deterrence designed to provide a frame of reference to help decision makers understand what deters Russia, and how best to use available instruments of power to preserve security and prevent conflict.
Catherine is a member of the Advisory Board of Wilton Park, an FCDO body convening people to discuss difficult and sensitive issues. She is Hon Fellow of Somerville College Oxford and Commodore of the NATO Tri-border sailing club.
She has two surprisingly well-adjusted adult sons.
Jeffrey Schulman
Jeffrey Samuel Schulman Jr. is a distinguished cybersecurity expert, a Ph.D. student studying Informatics, and an adjunct cybersecurity instructor at Penn State University. Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge to his presentations, and he has a multifaceted background encompassing over two decades of experience in enterprise IT, cybersecurity, and in uniform as a United States Marine. As the founder of Manteio Company, he specializes in security strategy and serves as a fractional vCISO. His academic pursuits focus on Human-Computer Interaction, Explainable AI, and Dark Patterns. Additionally, Jeff is actively engaged in various volunteer roles, including mentoring youth in STEM, several roles in the American Legion, and contributing to rock climbing competitions. His extensive expertise and dedication to cybersecurity and education make him a sought-after speaker, having presented in forums like the FFRDC-UARC Security Council and HAMMERCON.
Dr. Sarah Sewall
Dr. Sarah Sewall, EVP for National Innovation Strategy, guides the development of IQT’s unique commercial technology knowledge to support government policymakers. She co-directs IQT’s newest investing initiative to address private capital gaps in technologies crucial for U.S. global leadership. Sewall previously served as an Under Secretary of State, Member of the Defense Policy Board, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader. She served for a decade on the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School and taught at the Naval War College and Johns Hopkins/SAIS. She is a Trustee of the Center for Naval Analysis.
Major Alexander Shin
Major Alexander J. Shin was the J6 Plans Division Chief in Special Operations Command Pacific, Camp Smith, Hawaii. Major Shin led SOCPAC’s contested communications portfolio in support of the #1 priority of the NDS, creating the C4I strategy adopted by INDOPACOM, components, and interagency partners. He also served as the SOCPAC liaison officer to SOCOM for 7 months, reporting directly to the SOCPAC Commander, integrating actions across 9 staff directorates in 24 KLEs.
Major Shin was the SME for enabling C4ISR in support of 24 OPLANs/CONPLANs, ensuring SOCPAC’s capability to execute mission sets across 36 countries. He was also directly responsible for ensuring SOCPAC’s C2 of over 320 SOF Operations, Activities, and Investments with 24/7 support to SOF forces in 13 countries and 5 Theater SOF Command teams.
Major Shin received his commission through the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO. He is currently a student of Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB.
Dr. Jeffrey Starr
Dr. Jeffrey Starr serves as the Director for Research & Advanced Analytics, Air Force Concepts, Development and Management (SAF/CDM), responsible for evaluating and utilizing emerging technologies and methodologies and developing platforms and programs for use in the Defense Intelligence Enterprise. In this role, he directs the activities of CDM programs and initiatives in advanced analytic tradecraft, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, analysis of commercial and economic data, digital transformation of intelligence analysis disciplines, to create innovative strategic effects to deter and actively defend against conflict.
Previously, as a Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIF), he evaluated risks posed by adversarial AI programs to US defense interests. Also, he developed for the Intelligent Transportation Systems at the U.S. Department of Transportation an investment strategy for importing and integrating AI methods into transportation mode workstreams and co-authored an AI Playbook on “Getting to Pilot.”
Dr. Starr was Co-Founder of Neo Prime, Inc., a cyber security and risk modeling firm, which quantified client cyber risks and probabilistically forecasted expected cyber losses over time both to hedge financial losses from cyber-attacks and to prioritize security control modernization reflecting actual sources of loss in networks. He holds two US patents on quantitative methodologies to detect, assess and counter cyber threats and malware behaviors. He founded Neo Prime Risk Management Solutions, which assessed foreign military technology threats, and financial and political risks.
Dr. Starr is a visiting senior research scholar in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland, where he designed and taught an honors undergraduate laboratory seminar covering the development of mobile security apps and self-aware mobile platforms exploiting data flows from native mobile device sensors. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Corporate Development for G4S Americas, leading business planning for $3 bn businesses in North and South America and was one of 25 senior managers selected globally for the G4S Strategic Leadership Network program. From 2006-2010, he was Vice President in the Business Intelligence Group of Goldman Sachs in New York, using innovative data methods to evaluate and mitigate risks facing the Firm of exposure to illicit financial activities in Emerging Markets.
From 1985 to 2006, Dr. Starr served in the U.S. Government, reaching the rank of Senior Executive Service 5. From 2001 to 2006, he worked in the Department of Defense Office of Special Operations as the Senior Advisor for Combating Terrorism, designing information operations campaigns, and conceiving and developing a new DoD program to disrupt terrorist financial networks in support of U.S. military engagement in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, including training and forward deployment to support the in-theater activities of operational intelligence units. He was the senior DoD representative in USG discussions with Russia and Uzbekistan in preparation for Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11. From 1998 to 2001, he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, and previously served as team leader for an operational pre-emptive acquisition program to remove WMD materials from the marketplace to prevent their sale or proliferation. He also was a negotiator at the U.S.-Soviet Nuclear and Space Negotiations in Geneva and chaired US-Soviet working groups on strategic stability, mobile ICBM missile limitations and verification procedures, and directed energy and kinetic testing activities in space.
Dr. Starr received his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in international studies and applied mathematics, and a B.S. in theoretical mathematics and physics from the University of Illinois. He was a Member of the Secretary of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (TRAC) and the TRAC-USSOCOM Task Force, advising on CWMD issues. He has been a consultant for the US Army Special Operations Command, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins
Dr. Stefanie Tompkins is the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Prior to this assignment, she was the vice president for research and technology transfer at Colorado School of Mines.
Tompkins has spent much of her professional life leading scientists and engineers in developing new technology capabilities. She began her industry career as a senior scientist and later assistant vice-president and line manager at Science Applications International Corporation, where she spent 10 years conducting and managing research projects in planetary mapping, geology, and imaging spectroscopy. As a program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, she created and managed programs in ubiquitous GPS-free navigation as well as in optical component manufacturing. Tompkins has also served as the deputy director of DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office, director of DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office – the agency’s most exploratory office in identifying and accelerating breakthrough technologies for national security – as well as the acting DARPA deputy director.
Tompkins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in geology and geophysics from Princeton University and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in geology from Brown University. She has also served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.
Todd Veazie
Todd Veazie serves as Director of the Strategic Multilayer Assessment (SMA) office in the Joint Staff’s Operations Directorate. SMA supports senior military leaders by assessing complex operational environments and technical challenges that require collaborative multi-agency, multidisciplinary, mixed-method approaches to expand strategic horizons and inform effective strategy.
Prior to reentering public service, Todd was the Chief Operating Officer at Kiernan Group Holdings, Inc a global consulting firm specializing in law enforcement, risk services, defense, intelligence, emergency management, and critical infrastructure resiliency.
Todd served for thirty years in the United States Navy attaining the rank of Captain. He transitioned to the federal executive service and was assigned to the National Counterterrorism Center. At NCTC he led a talented team that provided dispassionate, whole of government assessments and strategic decision support to the President and his National Security Council staff.
He was born in Washington D.C. and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and was commissioned in 1986. After commissioning he reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training and graduated in Class 140. As a Naval Special Warfare (NSW) SEAL officer he served in East and West Coast SEAL Teams and deployed to over fifty countries around the globe. He led Naval Special Warfare formations in the execution of combat and peacetime special operations missions in Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Western Pacific, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Command tours include SEAL Team SEVEN in San Diego, Naval Special Warfare Unit THREE in Bahrain as well as duty as Commodore, Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR in Virginia Beach.
Todd served in numerous staff assignments that include the Executive Director of Joining Forces in the Office of the First Lady at the White House, personnel policy at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, the Assistant Chief of Staff for Resources, Requirements, and Assessments (J8) for the Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command and in the Operations Directorate (J3) on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. He is a 2003 Graduate of the National War College earning a Master’s Degree in National Security Strategy.
Andreas von der Heide
Andreas von der Heide is a Swedish entrepreneur, historian, and geopolitical advisor. He co-founded and currently serves as the CEO of Consilio International AB, Scandinavia’s leading geopolitical advisory firm. The firm specializes in serving owners, boards, and management teams of multinational corporations, providing new perspectives, and enhancing decision-making capabilities. He serves as a senior advisor on geoplitics to a number of industrialists, CEOs and is a speaking partners to policy makers.
As a sought-after lecturer and educator in geopolitics, Andreas hosts the popular podcast “Geoppoden,” which serves as an important platform for his teachings. His background spans geopolitics, private economic diplomacy, and the defense industry.
Andreas has an extensive career in international business, having served for eleven years in various leadership roles including regional director and CEO at the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR). During his tenure, he frequently traveled to countries such as Colombia, North Korea, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Belarus, and China. These experiences profoundly shaped his understanding of global dynamics and his ability to adopt “the perspective of the other” to better understand geopolitical shifts.
Following his tenure at NIR, he served as Senior Vice President at the aviation and defense company, Saab AB.
In addition to leading Consilio International AB, Andreas manages his private investment firm, Uluka AB, and holds board memberships in several listed and unlisted Swedish companies. He is also the chairman of Sweden’s most successful sports club, Djurgårdens IF. Founded in 1891, the club has won 475 Swedish Championship gold medals across 25 different sports.
Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman
Andrew Whiskeyman, COL USA (ret.) is an Associate Professor at the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace where he teaches and researches on the topics of leadership, ethics, disruptive technology, information warfare, deception, and strategic foresight. He is a Goodpaster Scholars Fellow, an Associate Research Scientist with the University of Maryland (UMD)’s Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), and teaches as adjunct faculty with Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the Air University’s Global College of Professional Military Education (GCPME). He has lectured internationally on the use of information as an element of power. He is also the CEO and co-founder of JASSA Professional Services, providing expert advice on organizational leadership, strategic foresight, and disruptive innovation.
Dr. Nicholas Wright
Dr. Nicholas Wright combines neuroscientific, behavioral, and technological insights to understand emerging technology and global strategy, in ways useful for policy. He is an affiliated scholar at Georgetown University, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London (UCL), Consultant at Intelligent Biology, and Adjunct Fellow (Non-Resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is currently writing a book for Pan Macmillan (UK) and St. Martin’s Press (US) on the brain and war.
He works closely with various parts of the US and UK Governments, including the Pentagon Joint Staff. On artificial intelligence (AI) he advises Europe’s largest tech company, SAP. DARPA used his definition of Grey Zone conflict for their recent AI program on the Gray Zone. Foreign Affairs chose his piece on AI and the global order for its Top 10 of 2018 on the net. He edited a book on Artificial Intelligence, China, Russia and Global Order (Air University Press, 2019), and is co-editing another for Air University Press entitled HUMAN, MACHINE, WAR: How the Mind-Tech Nexus will Win Future Wars. He has led Track 1.5 dialogues, for example with participants from the White House, UK Cabinet Office and Australian Prime Minister’s office, as well as with the Australian and Canadian Government Chief Scientists.
He previously worked in Nuclear Policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington DC; in functional brain imaging at UCL and in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics; and was a clinical neurologist in Oxford and London. He has many academic (e.g. Proceedings of the Royal Society), general (e.g. the Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs), and policy publications (e.g. www.intelligentbiology.co.uk) and has appeared on the BBC and CNN.
He has a medical degree from UCL, a BSc in Health Policy from Imperial College London, Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK), and an MSc in Neuroscience and a PhD in Neuroscience both from UCL.
Michele Wucker
A strategic advisor, educator, and best-selling author Michele Wucker coined the term “gray rhino” as a call to improve people’s responses to obvious, probable, impactful –yet all-too-often neglected– risks. In today’s volatile, uncertain world, she is a sought-after risk expert specialized in the global economy, public policy, decision-making, and governance.
Michele has published four books including the influential global best-seller, THE GRAY RHINO, and the sequel, YOU ARE WHAT YOU RISK. The gray rhino has made headlines in more than 75 countries and 35 languages in articles about the COVID-19 pandemic; climate change; and post-pandemic financial fragilities. It inspired a lyric in the hit single, “Blue & Grey,” by the global K-Pop mega-phenomenon BTS.
Drawing on decades of experience in global policy, including as a think tank and media CEO, she is founder of the strategic advisory firm Gray Rhino & Company. She is a stakeholder supervisory board member of the DCRO Risk Governance Institute; Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Virginia’s Master of Public Safety program; and Lecturer at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. She also advises multiple start-ups and social enterprises.
Central banks, securities regulators, and policymakers around the world apply gray rhino theory to national security, technology, demographic change, and emergency response. So do C-Suite executives, boards of directors, and business continuity teams, working across industries including technology and AI, finance, human capital, education, logistics, mining, manufacturing, and cyber-security.
Hon. Dov Zakheim
Dov S. Zakheim is Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Senior Fellow at the CNA Corporation, a federally funded think tank. Previously he was Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton where he led the Firm’s support of U.S. Combatant Commanders worldwide.
From 2001 to April 2004, he was Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense, and from 2002-2004 he was also DOD’s coordinator of civilian programs in Afghanistan. From 1985 until 1987, Dr. Zakheim was Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Planning and Resources, playing an active role in the Department’s system acquisition, strategic planning, programming and budget processes. He held other senior DOD posts from 1981-1985.
Dr. Zakheim has served on numerous government, corporate, non-profit, and charitable boards. He currently serves on the National Security Commission on Biotechnology and the Board of Control of the United States Naval Academy Athletic Association; the Naval War College Press advisory board and is an Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations.
Dr. Zakheim is Vice Chairman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Board of Trustees; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; Chatham House/the Royal Institute of International Affairs (UK) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 2011.
A 1970 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Columbia University with a B.A., summa cum laude, Dr. Zakheim also studied at the London School of Economics. He holds a doctorate in economics and politics at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He has been an adjunct Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, an adjunct Scholar of the Heritage Foundation, and an adjunct professor at the National War College and at four universities.
Dr. Zakheim is the author of four books as well as hundreds of monographs, chapters in edited volumes, articles, and book reviews on national security issues. He is a regular contributor to The Hill and a columnist for The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune and chairman of its Advisory Board.
Dr. Zakheim is the recipient of numerous awards for his government, professional and civic work, including the Defense Department’s highest civilian award in 1986, 1987 and 2004, and the United States Navy’s Award for Distinguished Public Service.