Current Fellows

2025-2026 Fellows

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Captain Devon Brennan is a career Coast Guard officer, currently in command of Maritime Security Response Team East with responsibility for maritime counterterrorism, high-risk law enforcement, and maritime special operations in support of the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. His last assignment was as Director for Maritime and Arctic Security on the National Security Council staff where he was responsible for implementing the President’s maritime policy priorities and national security objectives to strengthen maritime security. He previously commanded Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) New York where he led the unit’s maritime homeland security missions, counterdrug operations, and international training engagements. Other staff assignments include drug interdiction policy coordinator at Coast Guard Headquarters where he was responsible for strategic oversight of the service’s drug interdiction program and lead biometrics officer where he oversaw the implementation and enforcement program for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential and other identity operations. Additional tours include Sector Miami where he led maritime law enforcement (MLE) operations and deployed to the U.S. Indo-Pacific theater to train partner nation forces on MLE throughout Southeast Asia. Additionally, he served as Executive Officer of MSST New Orleans where he led operations including response to the DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill and deployments supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Combined Task Force – 151 in the Arabian Gulf.  He holds a BS in Marine Transportation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and earned both a MS in National Security Strategy from the National War College and a MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.

 

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Colonel Matthew G. Butler, U.S. Air Force, serves as the Senior Air Force Strategy Advisor to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (Strategy). Matt previously commanded three squadrons, including a contingency response squadron and the defenses of the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. His overseas experience includes two tours in Baghdad, Iraq and one year in Qatar. He also served as the speechwriter for the Under Secretary of the Air Force. Colonel Butler holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Miami University, a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University, a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from National Intelligence University, a Master of Philosophy in Military Strategy from the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College. He is a candidate for Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations from Salve Regina University. In addition to being a national board member of the World Affairs Councils of America, Matt is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Atlantic Council, Meridian International Center, and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He has written on national security issues for various publications.  

 

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Caitlin Dearing Scott is the Director of Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence and Strategy at the International Republican Institute’s Center for Global Impact, leading global efforts to strengthen democratic resilience against authoritarian interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kremlin. Her expertise in developing practical strategies and tools to help civil society, journalists, academia, and policymakers counter and build resilience against foreign authoritarian interference, combined with her role in leading IRI’s strategic planning management, reinforces the Institute’s position as a global leader in addressing today’s most pressing threats to democracy.  Caitlin has published extensively and testified before Congress on the critical role of non-kinetic strategies at home and abroad in countering the corrosive influence of the CCP, the Kremlin, and other authoritarian actors. Previously, Caitlin managed IRI's programs in Libya and Morocco within the Middle East and North Africa division, overseeing grants on local governance, community peacebuilding, conflict mitigation, and women’s political participation while developing IRI’s country strategies for engagement. Prior to joining IRI, she served as Senior Vice President of Research, Programs, and Policy at the Moroccan American Center, leading research on North African politics, security, and U.S.-Morocco relations. She holds an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in History and International Studies from The College of New Jersey. She is fluent in French. 

 

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James Faulkner is a Director within Raytheon’s Advanced Products and Solutions business segment. In his current role, James is responsible for supporting business growth and enterprise integration efforts for a defense portfolio spanning radar, electro/optical/ infrared, electronic warfare, and space-based components. James’ primary geographic focus is the Middle East and North Africa. James has 8+ years of experience at Raytheon across multiple functional disciplines to include strategy, business development, operations, government relations, and industrial participation / offset. Prior to Raytheon, James spent 10 years with Booz Allen Hamilton as a leader within the company’s Strategy and Transformation business practice. In that role, James supported Executive-level customers across the U.S. Intelligence Community with key strategy and transformational challenges. In addition, James spent almost 4 years as part of the firm’s international expansion into the Middle East and helped to establish offices in Qatar, the UAE, and KSA. For several years, James volunteered with the OSCE as a democratization officer responsible for monitoring elections in OSCE member States. In this role, he monitored elections in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and twice in Ukraine. James earned his MBA from Thunderbird International School of Business and a BS in foreign service from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. James also holds professional certifications in Change Management, Oil and Gas Management, and Risk Management. 

 

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Michael Frank currently serves as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the Department of the Navy, responsible for bridging the gap between government and industry to identify and assess emerging technology and transition capabilities to the warfighter. Prior to this role, Mr. Frank was a Principal with the Boston Consulting Group, helping senior leaders solve technology related problems. He worked with both public and private sector organizations including financial institutions, insurance companies, and healthcare providers. Mr. Frank is also an Officer in the Marine Reserves, currently leading the Cybersecurity Portfolio for the Marine Innovation Unit, working closely with Marine Forces Cyberspace Command to identify and close capability gaps for Marine cyber operators. Mr. Frank holds an MS in Information Security from Carnegie Mellon University, an MBA from the Darden School of Business, and a BA in Accounting from Washington and Jefferson College.

 

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Lindsey Harris is the Director for International Programs within the Global Programs and Policy team of Lockheed Martin Government Affairs (LMGA). In this capacity, she is the primary interlocutor between corporate entities and the U.S. Executive Branch, responsible for facilitating all major international programs and policies, both to keep programs sold and capture new business. She also serves as a resident expert on Foreign Military Sales (FMS) policies and processes. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2019, Ms. Harris served 9+ years in various positions supporting the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington, Virginia, as well as the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Security Assistance Management Directorate (AMCOM SAMD) in Huntsville, Alabama. Her last civilian role was as a Country Portfolio Director (CPD) at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), where she had the opportunity to support both the European Theatre as well as the Middle East. Ms. Harris’ primary responsibilities as a CPD included: overseeing, directing, and evaluating the military departments’ FMS program execution and implementation, ensuring programs met U.S. national security and foreign partner objectives and were consistent with both the Arms Export Control Act and the Foreign Assistance Act. Originally hailing from Mississippi, Ms. Harris is a proud graduate of Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA). She resides in Alexandria, VA with her husband, Jared, and their Scottish Terrier, Poppy.

 

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John F. Lehman is Vice President of Strategy, Corporate Development and Government Relations for Fincantieri Marine Group. In this position, he is responsible for creating and coordinating the company’s strategic and business development initiatives as well as coordinating communications with the legislative and executive branches. Prior to his current role, Mr. Lehman served as a Professional Staff Member for the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) from January 2015 until November 2018.  Mr. Lehman’s portfolio included Air Force and Naval Aviation programs and policies.  Prior to the SASC, Mr. Lehman worked as an investment banker in the Aerospace and Defense group at Evercore, where he advised clients on mergers, acquisitions and corporate strategy. From 2003 to 2011, Mr. Lehman served as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy.  As an EA-6B Prowler Electronic Countermeasures Officer, he deployed as a member of the VAQ-141 Shadowhawks aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in support of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Pacific area of operations.  His shore tour was on the Secretary of the Navy’s staff in the White House Liaison Office. Mr. Lehman received his B.A. in Diplomatic History from the University of Pennsylvania and M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.  He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and three children. 

 

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Kate Maliga is an accomplished strategic relations manager with experience in high-profile, high-priority programs in both industry and government, in the aerospace and defense sectors, with expertise in strategic assessment, policy development, and international negotiations. Kate’s career has been divided equally between public service and the private sector – she is currently Vice President of Government Affairs at LeoLabs. Kate worked in a number of positions at NASA, including as Director for International Relations for Earth Science, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, and spent two years in Moscow on the Shuttle-Mir program and as a science officer at the U.S. Embassy. Following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, Kate led NASA’s interactions with the governments of Israel and India. At Aerojet Rocketdyne, Kate developed and ran the competitive intelligence office and led space sector strategic engagements with the legislative and executive branches. Kate graduated from the College of William and Mary with a BA in International Relations and received an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and an MBA from St. Joseph’s University. Kate is a fitness enthusiast and certified trainer, having run her own personal training business, and has been a volunteer fitness instructor for children and formerly incarcerated women. 

 

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Carmen Landa Middleton is Vice President for Global Intelligence, Control Centers & Production Security at The Walt Disney Company (TWDC), with responsibility for advancing Global Security’s mission to promote a dynamic security organization to safeguard guests, employees, assets, and the brand. Previously, Carmen served as the Vice President, Security, Parks & Resorts International with responsibility for TWDC’s four International Parks & Resorts, National Geographic Editorial, Adventures by Disney & National Geographic Expeditions, and Disney Cruise Line.  She began her career at Disney in 2020 as the Director Global Security’s Strategic Security Operations Team, serving as the Chief of Staff to the Chief Security Officer. Prior to joining TWDC, Carmen led her own consulting firm, and had a 33-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), having served as the Deputy Executive Director, the Director of CIA’s Open Source Center, and the CIA’s Chief Diversity Officer.  She spent eight years working in Africa, Asia, and Europe, effectively navigating the complexities of multi-national and multi-cultural environments. Carmen is an active member of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). She has been recognized for her excellence in public service.  She is a recipient of the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, National Intelligence Superior Service Medal, the CIA Director’s Award, and the Working Mother Media National Security Annual Legacy Award.  She served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Intelligence Community Studies Board and the Enterprise Community Partners Board of Trustees, a national affordable housing nonprofit.

 

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Derron O’Leary is the Director for Regional Policy on the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Government Affairs team. In this role, he works closely with the U.S. Government to shape unmanned systems export policies and advance the company’s international sales. Derron also routinely advises General Atomics executive leadership and foreign customers on navigating the U.S. arms transfer environment. Derron joined General Atomics in 2022, after serving in the Department of Defense in a variety of arms export and international cooperation related positions. Most recently, Derron was a Country Portfolio Director at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, where he led the India and Southeast Asia portfolios. Within these portfolios, Derron leveraged arms transfers, grant assistance, training, and institutional capacity building to enhance the capabilities of foreign military and security forces. Prior to working on Indo-Pacific programs, Derron largely focused on the Middle East. He assisted on the agency’s largest portfolio – Saudi Arabia – and oversaw Foreign Military Sales programs valued at over $120 billion. He also served as the Missile Defense Agency’s Chief Negotiator on U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense agreements – and developed and executed Iraq Train & Equip and Egypt Foreign Military Financing programs at the Navy International Programs Office. Derron holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The Ohio State University and lives in Washington, D.C. 

 

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Jason Pritzker is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of 53 Stations, an early stage technology investment firm.  He is also the Vice Chairman of The Pritzker Organization.  Across both roles, Jason is focused on finding and partnering with great leaders, helping them to achieve their vision for success.  In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Hyatt Hotels Corp (NYSE: H), he also sits on a number of private company boards that span construction, technology, and consumer products.  Prior to joining TPO, Jason held various roles at Goldman Sachs, Marmon Corp, Hyatt Hotels, and started two early mobile technology companies.  He is also engaged with a number of philanthropic organizations and is part of the leadership team for YPO Chicago.  Jason graduated from Brandeis University in 2002 and currently lives with his family in Chicago, IL.

 

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Lauren Protentis is a national security and strategic communications expert, spending 15+ years working across U.S. and foreign government agencies with a focus on foreign malign influence, national security communications and counterterrorism. Most recently, Lauren served as the Director for Countering Foreign Malign Influence and National Security Communications at the National Security Council at the White House. In this role, Lauren led U.S. government policy and strategy on Russia and China’s efforts to undermine U.S. national security globally. Additionally, Lauren advised Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby on whole-of-government strategic communications in the context of strategic competition. Prior to this role, Lauren served in leadership roles across the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security and the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. In her private capacity, Lauren serves as an author and speaker on national security and advocate on Holocaust awareness. Lauren coauthored articles including Toward a More Ethical Approach to Countering Disinformation Online in USC Public Diplomacy Magazine and Disrupting Disinformation in Bright Blue Magazine. Lauren serves as a guest lecturer at Emmanuel College on communications and national security. Inspired to pursue a career in public service by her grandmother’s survival of the Holocaust, she authored Massachusetts Holocaust Survivor Shares Story of Survival in Jewish Boston and Forging Diplomatic Connections Through Storytelling in the Diplomatic Diary. In 2018, Lauren received an Executive Master’s in Strategic Communications from Georgetown University and was awarded the Hoya Professional 30 for her “excellence in leadership”. Lauren served as a Penn-Kemble Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy from 2020-2021.

 

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Usman Rahim is a Senior Vice President, Public Policy Lead at Bank of America, assisting the federal government relations team efforts to educate, advocate, and provide analysis for various domestic and international policies and implications. Prior to joining Bank of America, Usman served as the financial services policy analyst at BGR, where he serviced the BGR Financial Services Practice and clients on financial services policy issues. In addition, led analysis and reports on various legislative and regulatory activity including, infrastructure policy analysis, provided secondary support for commerce policies, supported the executive team, and managed special projects, amongst other tasks. Previously, he served at the Department of the Treasury, as a Special Assistant for the Office of the Executive Secretary. At Treasury, Usman coordinated with the Offices of Domestic Finance, Economic Policy, Tax Policy, Legislative Affairs, OMB, and IRS to assist the Department in timely projects, briefings, reports, and correspondence. Additionally, he served as a policy associate for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), and for the Office of U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). A native of High Point, North Carolina, Usman received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is fluent in Hindi/Urdu, intermediate in Punjabi, Spanish and Arabic, and an avid tennis player and fan. Usman received the Secretary’s Honor Award for his tenure at Treasury. Also, Usman recently served as an Economic Club of New York Fellow, and previously on the Alumni Board for Learning at Morning Brew.

 

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Allegra Richards is a Project Director at the U.S. Department of Defense. Previously, Allegra was a Senior Program Manager at In-Q-Tel, where she worked alongside government partners and portfolio companies to ensure successful solution transfer across focus areas such as energy, space, microelectronics, and biotechnology. Prior to joining IQT, Allegra led global product innovation in emerging markets at Nestle and served in various national security roles for the U.S. government. Additionally, Allegra was a White House speechwriter and a journalist for the Associated Press. Allegra holds an A.B. from Harvard, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, and an M.A. in International Studies from The University of Pennsylvania. She is a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, an alumna of the Aspen Institute’s Rising Leaders Program and a mentor with Girl Security. Allegra is from upstate New York, grew up in Europe and speaks French, Italian, and Russian.

 

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Tim Robbins is an Associate Vice President at The Cohen Group, a Washington, D.C.-based strategic advisory firm founded by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen. Tim leads Cohen Group client accounts in the defense, aerospace, and advanced technology sectors, and co-leads the firm’s Defense practice. Prior to joining The Cohen Group, Tim worked as a management consultant supporting security preparedness exercises for public transportation systems at the Department of Homeland Security, where he also led an organizational assessment of a project management office. Earlier in his career, Tim served on active duty as Marine Corps logistics officer, where oversaw logistics planning, transportation operations, and materiel readiness. Tim has also conducted internships in the Office of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Tim received his Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Maine in Orono, where he was also a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps. He is based in Washington, D.C. 

 

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Jonathan Sharma is the senior manager of Research and Advocacy within the Corporate Analysis Center at Northrop Grumman.  In this role, he directly supports key programs and senior leadership with detailed strategic planning, deep insights into the defense industry, and broad-ranging analyses of Federal contracts data and budget documents.  Additional responsibilities include collaborating across the enterprise to explain the value of key capabilities to non-technical, executive audiences.  Dr. Sharma was recruited into Northrop Grumman in 2014 as a part of a rotational program strategically designed to accelerate the development of future technical leaders; where he spent three years gaining exposure to a large breadth of company programs and capabilities while cultivating multi-disciplinary expertise in aerospace engineering, data science, and corporate strategy.  Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Dr. Sharma completed his graduate studies in the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology and performed research and analysis for a variety of commercial, civil, and defense customers in the aerospace industry.  During his time at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he obtained his B.S, M.S., and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering.  He currently resides in Vienna, Virginia with his wife and two daughters.

 

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Dilpreet Sidhu serves as Deputy Mayor of International Relations for the city of Los Angeles. She previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House during the Biden Administration. Prior to that, she served at the Department of Defense as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. She also previously served as the Principal Deputy Executive Secretary at the NSC and was a member of the Biden-Harris transition team. She was the first-ever Director of International Relations for the city of Los Angeles during the administration of Mayor Eric Garcetti. During the Obama Administration, she served on the NSC as Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor.  Dilpreet has also worked at the Department of State, including assignments as a Foreign Affairs Officer on the India Desk, Economic Officer in Iraq and India, and Staff Assistant to the Secretary of State. Dilpreet is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholar in Punjabi. She received her B.A. in English literature and religious studies from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. 

 

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Ian Staples is the National Security Advisor to House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. His primary responsibilities include coordinating notational security legislation on the House floor, advising on intelligence, defense, and foreign policy, and working with committees to advance Democratic priorities. Ian was previously Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Senate Affairs. He advised the Secretary and other senior Department of Defense leaders on legislative matters and facilitated their relationships and interactions with the U.S. Senate. He was also responsible for the confirmation of all Department of Defense Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed nominees. Previously, Ian was the Team Chief for Acquisition and Sustainment, the lead legislative liaison for the Under Secretary for Acquisition & Sustainment and Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining the Biden Harris administration, Ian was a Legislative Director and National Security Advisor for Congresswoman Susan Davis, the most senior Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee and former Chair of the Military Personnel Subcommittee. Ian Staples worked on several state and national political campaigns, including the 2008 presidential primaries. He began working in Washington D.C. in 2011 as the Special Assistant to Chairman Steve Israel at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He also served as a Legislative Assistant for several Members of Congress. Ian holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kansas and an M.A. in National Security Studies from the Naval War College. Ian also serves as a Civil Affairs officer in the United States Army Reserve.  

 

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Paula Trimble is Policy and Legislative Affairs Director at the Space Development Agency (SDA) in the U.S. Department of Defense, where she drives policy and congressional strategies to accelerate delivery of next-generation space and missile tracking capabilities to meet the needs of the joint warfighter, leveraging spiral development of a proliferated satellite constellation. Paula is a distinguished government relations strategist, communications specialist, project manager, technology and policy analyst, and journalist, boasting two decades of expertise in disruptive organizations at the nexus of policy and technology in the Department of Defense, Federation Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Commerce, and industry. Paula started her career as a reporter at Space News and Federal Computer Week. She served in the Department of Commerce Office of Space Commercialization and the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation and oversaw prototyping efforts in the DoD’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office. Paula led the national security practice at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, lobbying on behalf of universities and research institutes. When she’s not cycling or practicing yoga, she’s passionate about wine tasting, live music, and antiquing. Paula chairs the judging for the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on National Defense and serves on the boards of non-profit organizations The Holiday Project, organizing holiday visits at nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and the Information Professionals Association, a forum for the advancement of cognitive security. Paula is a 1998 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a B.A. in Journalism, and minor degrees in Art History and Science, Technology, and Society.

 

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Christine Trostle is the Chief of Governance and Engagement in the National Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) Office. A Science and Technology Officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), she drives advances in MASINT to deliver decision advantage for the U.S. through collaboration across government, industry, academia, and strategic partners. She previously served as Acting Chief and Deputy Chief of the Director’s Action Working Group, aligning special projects to Agency and national strategic objectives for DIA’s 22nd and 23rd Directors; and, as Senior Policy and Program Manager for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), was instrumental in the development of DIA’s OSINT Integration Center and the evolution of Defense OSINT.  Ms. Trostle began civilian government service at the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); and, following medical separation from the U.S. Marine Corps, served as Legislative Staff for a Member of Congress. She has consulted for the National Reconnaissance Office; Departments of Defense, Labor, and State; and The Aerospace Corporation; and completed ten deployments as an Election Observer for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Scrum Master (CSM) and holds Certificates in Lean Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University; a B.A. in International Relations from Syracuse University and the Maxwell School; a Diploma and an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College; and the Public Leadership Credential from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

 

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John Uehlinger leads the Bechtel Enterprises Export & Agency Finance team. Bechtel Enterprises (BEn) is the project development, financing, and long-term investment arm of the global EPC contractor Bechtel, which seeks to connect sources of capital with Bechtel projects worldwide. In addition to his role leading the Export & Agency Finance team, John serves as the BEn coordinator for Bechtel’s Nuclear Power and Defense & Space business lines. As the head of Export & Agency Finance, John works closely with public sources of capital, managing Bechtel’s relationship with agencies such as the Export-Import Bank of the United States, US Development Finance Corporation, and the Department of Energy’s Loan Program Office. These complex financing structures also require close coordination with Bechtel’s worldwide customers, supply chain, and global engineering, procurement, and construction teams. John joined Bechtel in 2023 after 13 years at GE in a variety of finance/capital markets roles across the company. While at GE he financed power and infrastructure projects worldwide, including Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Angola, Turkey, and Ghana. John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Georgetown University. He currently resides in Reston, VA with his wife and two young active, energetic daughters.

 

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Jamie Wall is Head of the Washington office at ExxonMobil. Previously, Ms. Wall was Executive Vice President, Advocacy at SIFMA. She was SIFMA’s senior government affairs officer and was responsible for leading SIFMA’s advocacy efforts. Ms. Wall joined SIFMA from Subject Matter where she advised a variety of clients across a wide range of sectors on legislative, regulatory and political advocacy efforts. While at Subject Matter, Ms. Wall also engaged various Administration and cabinet agency officials in pursuit of client goals. Prior to Subject Matter, Ms. Wall was Director of Global Government Relations at Honeywell International, a Fortune 500 company with operations in more than 100 countries. In that capacity she spearheaded a variety of strategic campaigns focused on advancing the company’s tax and trade policy pursuits. She also worked on Capitol Hill, serving Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), a member of Senate leadership, and Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO), as well as in state government for former Governor Matt Blunt (R-MO). Ms. Wall is a passionate mentor of homeless youths in the D.C. Metro area working with several related organizations like Eyes Wide Open Mentoring. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas.

 

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Stephanie Young is a senior political scientist and Director of the Resource Management Program within RAND Project AIR FORCE, the Department of the Air Force’s (DAF) only studies and analysis federally funded research and development center.  In this capacity she manages a portfolio of research and analysis for DAF senior leaders on issues related to the defense industrial base, supply chain operations, acquisition, logistics, sustainment, installation resilience, and related resource allocation issues, to support the DAF maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of operations in a resource-constrained environment. She has a PhD and MA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, where her doctoral research focused on the DoD’s Planning Programming Budgeting and Execution system, and a BA with majors in physics, astrophysics, and history – also from Berkeley.