Current Fellows

2026-2027 Fellows

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Amanda Farrell is an international trade lawyer, currently Director & Senior Counsel for Legal Affairs & Trade at General Motors. She previously worked in the US Trade Representative’s Office of General Counsel, in the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. There she negotiated trade deals, litigated disputes at the World Trade Organization, and advised on trade and investment policy including for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). She started her legal career in the International Trade group of a DC law firm. Amanda completed her B.A. in Political Science at Penn State and her J.D. from Georgetown Law, where she teaches International Negotiations as an adjunct professor. She is on the Board of the Washington International Trade Association and Strategic Council of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a geopolitical think tank.

 

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Anita Balachandra is an expert in U.S. technology policy with over 25 years of experience working across the public and private sectors, focusing on the ecosystem that enables technology development. She currently works in the CHIPS R&D Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Ms. Balachandra previously worked as a consultant supporting technology developers of all sizes, including major systems integrators, angel-backed start-ups and non-profit industrial consortia. She developed a focus on the defense electronics industrial base and helped to establish the Electronics Division of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), serving on the first leadership team and leading the policy committee. She returned to federal service in August 2020, joining the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) as an industry specialist at the height of the global supply chain crisis. Soon thereafter, she was tapped to support the 100-Day assessment of the semiconductor supply chain and then to help establish the Department’s CHIPS programs. Ms. Balachandra started her career at the Department of Commerce in the Office of Technology Policy and went on to work at the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) as a liaison between Maryland small businesses and the myriad federal laboratories in the state. Ms. Balachandra holds a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University where she studied the influence of defense spending on regional economic development, and an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

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Brian Schmidt is a senior military strategist and policy practitioner specializing in global special operations, multi-domain defense planning, and the assessment of strategic risk. He currently serves as the Chief of Strategic Assessments for the Joint Staff where he leads the synthesis of global military risk for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Drawing on an MBA and a Master’s in Military Strategy, Brian integrates private-sector risk management frameworks with traditional defense planning to enhance how the U.S. military identifies and mitigates strategic threats. Notably, he authored current U.S. military-wide planning doctrine, establishing the frameworks required to maintain institutional agility against peer and near-peer adversaries. A career Special Operations pilot with over 3,000 flight hours, Brian’s expertise is rooted in over 20 years of operationalizing national security objectives in contested environments. During his tenure with Special Operations Command–Pacific, he served as a principal advisor on strategic engagement, navigating the geopolitical complexities of the Indo-Pacific to expand bilateral security frameworks. Notably, he led the diplomatic delegation to Nepal that established new defense relationships—a critical component of integrated deterrence and regional influence. Prior to his current role at the Pentagon, Brian served as the Deputy Commander of one of the Air Force’s largest operations groups, leading a $5.7B arsenal and 1,700 personnel. He previously commanded an operational squadron, where he spearheaded a landmark strategic pivot toward the Pacific theater. Through his continued leadership and experience, Brian remains at the forefront of synchronizing military capability with long-term national policy.

 

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Cole Livieratos is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, currently serving as the Army Advisor to the Director of the Office of Net Assessment. In this role, he writes independent assessments of U.S. military capabilities relative to those of America’s adversaries for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of War. A career officer with broad operational experience, Cole has served with both conventional and special operations forces across deployments to Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. As an Army Strategist, he taught Defense and Strategic Studies at West Point, developed future concepts at Army Futures Command, and shaped international technology policy at the State Department as a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow. Cole holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and East Asian Studies from West Point, master’s degrees in Asian Studies, Security Studies, and International Relations, and a PhD in Government from Georgetown University. He is a Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as Editorial Director of the Irregular Warfare Initiative. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two dogs. Cole is participating in the fellowship in an independent capacity and is not representing the United States Army or the Department of War.

 

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Daniel Wallman is a General Partner at Balerion Space Ventures, where he invests in private companies developing the critical infrastructure and applications of the emerging space and defense economy. He previously worked as an aerospace engineer at The Boeing Company and later in business development and strategy at Blue Origin. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA in finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 

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Colonel Dave Ahern currently serves as Executive Assistant to the Director of the Joint Staff J5, where he provides strategic counsel on global military operations and the development of foundational defense documents. Prior to this assignment, Colonel Ahern served as Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council, where he provided military and strategic planning expertise to the National Security Advisor on Ukraine conflict strategy, Taiwan contingency planning, and defense industrial transformation. Colonel Ahern’s military career spans 20 years across special operations and airborne units, including multiple combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently an operational deployment to Eastern Europe while commanding a battalion in the 101st Airborne Division. He holds a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from Stanford University, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wheaton College.

 

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Edward Buckley serves as Senior Vice President and Public Policy Executive at Bank of America where he manages relationships with the U.S. government on cyber security and emerging technology issues. He develops public policy strategies on a range of priorities including strengthening the cyber security of the financial system and promoting the responsible use of artificial intelligence and partners closely with business units to assess the impact of legislative and administrative action. Prior to joining Bank of America, he served in the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Edward holds a Master of Arts degree in Global Policy from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He attended George Washington University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in United States History. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Katheryn and sons Finn, Callahan, and Grayson.

 

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Elizabeth Irwin most recently served as Director for Strategic Risk at the Office of the National Cyber Director within the Executive Office of the President. Her work focused on mitigating malicious cyber activity by establishing security requirements, streamlining regulation, enhancing critical infrastructure resilience, and improving supply chain risk management. A career civil servant, she previously worked in the Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection at the Department of the Treasury, the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer in the Office of Management and Budget, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the Department of Homeland Security. She began her government career at the Department of Defense with an appointment to the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force. Originally from suburban Cleveland, Ohio, Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Northwestern University, a Master of Public Administration in National Security Policy and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a Master of Arts in Security Studies and Military Operations from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is an inaugural AI & National Security Convergence Fellow with the Council on Strategic Risks and an alumna of SeedAI Tech Labs and Princeton University AI Policy Precepts.

 

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Esube Bekele is vice president of technology at In-Q-Tel, where he leads strategic investments and provides thought leadership at the intersection of artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and national security. His work examines how frontier technologies—including generative AI, quantum software, neuromorphic systems, and hybrid intelligent architectures—are reshaping technological competition, economic resilience, and institutional capability. He brings a systems-level perspective on translating emerging computing paradigms into durable strategic advantage. Bekele’s career reflects a progression from technical innovation to strategic technology leadership. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from Vanderbilt University, where his research focused on intelligent systems integrating robotics, computer vision, and multimodal sensing to develop adaptive human-centered technologies. Before joining In-Q-Tel, he was a National Research Council fellow at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, where he conducted research in machine learning, computer vision, and cognitive computing for security applications. His technical work focused on soft-biometric attributes such as person recognition and re-identification, explanation generation, anomaly detection with generative networks, and face and full-body analysis—foundations that continue to inform his perspective on the operational and strategic implications of artificial intelligence. He remains actively engaged in the global research community through leadership and service roles. He is currently serving as an area chair for CVPR 2026 and ECCV 2026, and has co-organized workshops at major AI conferences, including the Practical Machine Learning workshop series at ICLR since 2020. He previously co-organized the Black in AI workshops at NeurIPS through 2019 and has served as logistics chair for ICLR 2020 and virtual experience chair for ICCV 2021. He also served as associate editor-in-chief of the Pattern Recognition journal.

 

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Greg Knutson is a defense innovation leader with more than 20 years of experience in aviation, autonomous systems, and the integration of advanced technologies into complex security environments. During his U.S. Navy career, Knutson served as a pilot in both manned and unmanned helicopter platforms, leading deployments at sea and in support of special operations forces. His work included contested logistics, advanced tactics, and the test and evaluation of uncrewed capabilities in high-risk environments. He also served on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, where he contributed to shaping global defense intelligence collection priorities in coordination with Congress and the National Security Council, linking field-level requirements with national policy and senior decision-making. Following military service, Knutson transitioned to the deep technology and startup ecosystem, working across hypersonic propulsion, space logistics, commercial launch, and cybersecurity ventures. In these roles, he has translated advanced engineering into scalable business execution and long-term defense capability development. He currently serves as Director of Business Development for the uncrewed aerial systems portfolio at Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, where he leads growth and partnerships for autonomy-enabled platforms. Knutson holds a B.S. in Oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, an M.S. in Global Business Leadership from the University of San Diego, and is completing his MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Tillman Scholar. He resides in Houston, Texas.

 

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Kavon “Hak” Hakimzadeh leads more than 10,000 government employees at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where he oversees the timely maintenance, repair, and overhaul of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and submarines. Previously, he led the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group during Red Sea operations and commanded the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. His other command assignments include the Sixth Fleet flagship USS Mount Whitney and Airborne Command and Control Squadron 126. Earlier in his career, he accumulated extensive flight experience in the E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. Over the course of his career, he has also spent nearly ten years in the Pentagon serving as both a strategist and requirements specialist. The son of an Iranian father and an American mother, Hak spent his elementary school years in Tehran, Iran, before moving back to the United States during the Islamic Revolution. He speaks Persian and has extensive professional experience working in the Middle East. Hak earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and holds graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins SAIS, Old Dominion University, and the Naval War College. He has published extensively in professional journals on military operations, industrial policy, and leadership. Hak is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a recipient of an Ellis Island Medal. He and his wife live in the Hampton Roads area of Southeastern Virginia.

 

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Jacob Cohn is a strategic planner in Northrop Grumman's Corporate Analysis Center. Mr. Cohn leads Northrop Grumman's engagements with third parties focused on U.S. national security issues such as think tanks and researchers in the broader academic community. When Mr. Cohn first joined Northrop Grumman, he served as an analyst in the Aeronautics Sector modeling and simulation organization. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Mr. Cohn worked as a Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments where his research focused on future warfare and long-term military competitions. He authored several publications on trends in the defense budget and defense acquisitions as well as ones exploring nuclear deterrence, force planning, and the return of great-power competition. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies where he co-teaches a seminar on wargaming and crisis simulations. Mr. Cohn is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a MA in International Economics and Strategic Studies. He also graduated with highest honors from Emory University with a BA in Economics and Math.

 

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Jamie Lawrence is a Vice President at The Cohen Group, where he has supported a wide range of clients in the defense, technology, semiconductor, and health care sectors, providing advice and guidance on business development pursuits, government relations, contracting and federal funding opportunities, Foreign Military Sales, relationship building, and strategic engagements. He also previously led firm’s Defense Practice. Jamie joined The Cohen Group after 20 years of US federal government service at the US Departments of State and Defense. Most recently, he was Chief for Strategic Outreach at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, with oversight of internal and external communications, media relations, legislative affairs, defense trade show management, and protocol. At the State Department, Jamie spent a decade in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, where he directed outreach activities for the flagship Fulbright Program. Jamie also served in public affairs and communications positions in the Bureau of Consular Affairs — where he led nationwide efforts to educate federal, state, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice officials on international consular relations treaty obligations — and in the Office of the Secretary of State as a member of the Operations Center staff. In 2014, he worked for US Senator Brian Schatz as a Brookings Institution LEGIS Congressional Fellow covering foreign relations, defense, and international education issues. Jamie graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English/Creative Writing. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife and two children.

 

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Jonathan McMullan is an Australian and is currently the Director of International Strategic Development - Indo-Pacific for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems based in San Diego. Prior to this role, he completed over thirty years in the Royal Australian Air Force and an aviator and senior leader. During his service, he completed 7 tours of Iraq and Afghanistan with his last three tours in Command of a Task Force. He amassed over 5500 flying hours on both manned and unmanned aircraft. Jonathan completed the CSIS Global Foresight program in 2025 and is pleased to be a part of the 2026 Strategy and Statecraft Fellowship.

 

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Kim Montgomery has spent 15 years at the intersection of science policy and international affairs working in the U.S. and Austria. Currently, she is the Director of International Affairs and Science Diplomacy at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) where she advises on international affairs, manages bilateral and multilateral relationships, directs the Center for Science Diplomacy, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the policy journal Science & Diplomacy. In Austria, she advised the Director General and developed and managed relations with international members for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and was a Scientific Consultant in nuclear forensics for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Her U.S. experience includes six years at the U.S. House of Representatives as Professional Staff for the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and a Legislative Assistant for Representative Rush Holt. Directly prior to AAAS, Kim was a Senior Program Officer at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) focused on emerging technologies. Kim was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at NSF’s Office of Legislative and Public Affairs and did a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University. Kim has a Ph.D. from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

 

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Marta Kepe is a Senior Defense Analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. There she spearheaded work on national resilience against defense and security threats, national resistance, analyzing military industrial, capability, and logistics and sustainment issues. Much of Marta’s work relates to strengthening military and civilian capabilities to prepare for war and grey zone threats. In area, she led analytical studies of national resilience in Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Baltic states, and analyzed trends in military logistics, active and reserve force mixes, and training approaches in support of U.S. Department of War. Prior to joining RAND Marta worked for RAND Europe (UK) on defense industrial issues, the Latvian Ministry of Defence on defense sector reform and regional cooperation, and the UN HQ on arms control issues. She is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council where she served in the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative’s Task Group, and the Military Mobility Task Force. She has taught courses on Nordic-Baltic security and Russia at Georgetown University and the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Institute. Marta received her MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University. She speaks Latvian, French, and Russian.

 

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Michael E. Moran is a senior economic and public-policy leader operating at the intersection of financial markets, government, and national security. As a founding partner of Atlas Macro Advisors, he advises clients on market entry and development, capital-raise strategy, and political and geopolitical risk to deliver actionable insight. Previously, Michael served as Deputy Secretary for Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia (a global 30 economy by GDP), where he advised the Governor and senior leadership on inbound investment and growth strategies across priority sectors, including life sciences, defense/defense technology, shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductors. During his tenure, Virginia secured more than $13 billion in life-sciences investment, launched the Virginia Center for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (VCAPM), and created “Lab to Launch” to accelerate commercialization of Virginia-developed technologies. Earlier in his career, Michael led U.S. government and public affairs functions at major global financial institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and Zurich Insurance. In these roles, he counseled C-suite leaders on political economy, regulatory and reputational risk, and policy-driven market implications. This means translating Washington dynamics into strategic guidance for domestic and international clients, corporate leaders, and stakeholders. Michael is currently a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve. He holds an MBA from The George Washington University, a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Branding and Public Relations from UCLA, and a B.A. in German from the University of Wyoming. He speaks German and Japanese and has lived abroad for several years.

 

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Michael Songer is the National Security Advisor for Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). In this role, Mike serves as Senator Murkowski's principal advisor on legislative matters within the armed forces, foreign affairs, homeland security, intelligence, space, and veterans affairs policy portfolios. Before this position, Mike served in various roles, including Professional Staff Member on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and as Senior Legislative Assistant and Defense Policy Advisor for the late Dean of the House of Representatives, Congressman Don Young (R-AK). Previously, Mike served as a Security Forces member in the United States Air Force. This included roles as Flight Chief and Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of Physical Security. As a Security Forces member, he deployed twice to Afghanistan and spent a year in Iraq on a Police Transition Team. Mike holds a Master of Business Administration in Aerospace and Defense from the University of Tennessee, a Master of Arts in History from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a Concentration in Organizational Law Enforcement Leadership from American Military University.

 

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Pat Staub is a career leader in national security/warfighter support with more than 25 years’ experience in cyber, intelligence, and geopolitics. He works for Peraton, Inc. where he is a Program Manager/Technical Lead supporting the Department of Defense. Prior to his current position, Pat was a career Naval Cryptologic Warfare Officer where he directed cyber, intelligence, and information operations supporting combatant command priorities worldwide. His operational experience includes multiple combat deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa with Special Operations Forces during OIF and OEF. On multiple occasions, Pat was an embedded representative in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Japan, and multiple parts in Africa to ensure military operations are thoroughly coordinated with Department of State, Interagency, Combatant Commands, Coalition forces and foreign governments. He was fortunate to liaise with multiple Ambassadors, Embassy staffs, and foreign dignitaries. Pat also deployed on multiple USN surface and subsurface units in support of INDOPACOM and CENTCOM priorities and worked as a Staff Officer at USCYBERCOM. He is a Naval Postgraduate School graduate where earned his M.S in Computer Science and has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics/Computer Science and a B.A. in History. He is currently pursuing his M.A. in Global Affairs. Pat and his wife, Michelle, currently live in Annapolis and have three grown children.

 

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Sarah Crawford is a Senior Manager for International Trade Policy in Lockheed Martin Global Programs and Policy. Sarah previously served 15 years in the US intelligence community, with multiple overseas tours. She holds a Master’s in International Economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and attended the Arabic Language Institute at the American University in Cairo.

 

 

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Tania Hanna is Vice President of Government and Customer Relations for L3Harris Technologies. She is responsible for the company’s relations with the U.S. Congress, the Executive Branch, and Aerospace and Defense industry associations. She also oversees global business development and external communications. Hanna was Vice President of Government Relations for Harris Corporation, prior to the company’s merger with L3 Communications in 2019, and also worked as Vice President of Policy and Legislative Affairs, responsible for implementing and overseeing Harris’ engagements with the U.S. Congress. Before joining Harris in 2003, Hanna served as Senior Associate with a DC-based law firm, Senior Attorney at the Federal Communications Commission, and General Counsel for an internet startup. Hanna earned a Bachelor of Science in International Politics from Georgetown University, a graduate degree from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University. She also has a Juris Doctor from American University.

 

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Tom Beach is a strategic leader with more than two decades of experience at the intersection of national security, intelligence, and global finance. He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Top Tier Capital Partners (TTCP), where he drives cross‑functional execution across an $8 billion venture investment platform and leads firmwide strategic and operational initiatives. In this role, he oversees investment allocation and diligence processes, strengthens organizational performance, and advances the firm’s data and analytics modernization. Prior to TTCP, Tom spent sixteen years at the Central Intelligence Agency, rising to the Senior Analytic Service and becoming one of the U.S. government’s leading experts on foreign supply chains and dual-use technologies. His career spanned counterproliferation, counternarcotics, and covert action, including leadership of cross-agency efforts that disrupted high-value procurement networks and strengthened U.S. national security. He regularly briefed senior U.S. and foreign policymakers, led crisis driven analytic and operational teams, and earned more than 30 individual and unit awards, including several of the Intelligence Community’s highest honors. Earlier in his career, Tom spent a decade in the financial sector as an investment banker, private equity investor, and venture capitalist. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BA from Princeton University. Tom lives in McLean, Virginia with his wife, two daughters, and their Welsh Corgi.

 

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Whitney Winn Hawkes is a Senior Corporate Strategy Associate at Bechtel Corporation, where she contributes to the company’s long-term strategy by evaluating investments, shaping enterprise priorities, and providing analysis to inform executive decision-making. Over the course of nearly a decade at Bechtel, she has held roles spanning commercial management, business development, and communications, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to large-scale infrastructure delivery. Her work has focused on public infrastructure and complex transportation projects across international markets, with experience navigating diverse regulatory, political, and stakeholder environments. Prior to joining Bechtel, Whitney served as Outreach Manager for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, where she led stakeholder engagement and outreach for a major transit expansion in the Washington, D.C. region. She worked closely with local communities, businesses, and government stakeholders to incorporate public input into project decisions, mitigate risk, and support successful delivery. Whitney holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from George Mason University.