#LookingLikeAmerica

• Affiliation: 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Appropriations Affairs, Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Jongsun A. Kim is a defense specialist who focuses on budget, intelligence, and Asia policy issues. As Deputy Comptroller for Budget and Appropriations Affairs, Jongsun serves as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense on matters related to Congress and Appropriations, and as the lead interface between Department senior leadership and the Congressional Appropriations Committees.

Previously, Jongsun worked on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as a professional staff member, advising the vice chairman, overseeing agency budgets, drafting legislation, and conducting oversight missions. She previously served as the committee designee and chief national security advisor to Senator Barbara Mikulski. Prior to working in the Senate, Jongsun managed the U.S.-South Korea Alliance at the Department of Defense as a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration and worked in various capacities at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and White House, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2010.

Jongsun began her career in government and politics in the state of New Jersey, working in a gubernatorial campaign in 2001 and subsequently, the governor's office. She holds masters degrees from Harvard and National Intelligence University, and a BA from Wellesley College.

• Affiliation: 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: Associate Director, Compliance and Operational Risk Management, UBS AG
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Won Palisoul is the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (P&R) at the Pentagon. P&R is the principal staff element at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for all human resources, human capital development, and personnel logistics matters with a customer base of approximately 4.3 million servicemembers, veterans and military families and 800 thousand civilian employees. Won assists with force readiness; total force management; health affairs; force management; health affairs; National Guard and Reserve component affairs; education and training; and military and civilian personnel requirements and management, including equal opportunity, morale, welfare, recreation, and quality of life matters.

Prior to joining the DoD, Won was an Associate Director of Investment Bank Compliance and Operational Risk Control at UBS and a Certified Fraud Examiner. She also served as a Senior Compliance Officer of $4 billion AUM credit-focused asset management firm and was a Compliance Examiner at an SRO for the U.S. derivatives industry. Won’s SRO examiner responsibilities included other-the-counter derivatives, swap dealer compliance programs, and implementation and adherence to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Previously, she was an Office Manager for a retirement fund with $6 billion AUM and in 2012, she was named a Veteran Associate at the New York Stock Exchange.

Won began her career as a Gas Turbine Technician (Electrical) in the U.S Navy, serving aboard guided missile destroyers and was forward deployed in the Pacific region for Operation Enduring Freedom. After eight years of service, she received an honorable discharge and founded a small business that she ran for four years prior to transitioning into the financial sector. Given her passion for the veterans community, she founded the Women Veterans and Families Network. Won is the Chair of Veterans Roundtable at CFA Society New York and the Co-Lead of Women Veterans on Wall Street, a subcommittee of Veterans on Wall Street. She works with senior leaders of Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits to facilitate roundtable discussions and best practices forums on hiring military veterans and military spouses.

Won holds an M.A. in Information Technology Management from Webster University. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies (SPS), where she earned an M.S. in Nonprofit Management. Won is an adjunct associate faculty member and serves as an Alumni Advisory Council member at SPS. She resides in NYC with her husband, who is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and two children.

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa, USAID
• Previous Role and Organization: Lecturer, African and Security Studies, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Travis Adkins serves as the Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Bureau of Africa.

Previously, he was a Lecturer of African and Security Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He also taught in the Georgetown Prison Scholars Program, as part of the university’s Prisons & Justice Initiative. As an international development leader, he has two decades of experience working in governance, civil society and refugee and migration affairs in over 50 nations throughout Africa and the Middle East. This includes serving as Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Africa, working with leading international NGOs and think tanks, as well as within several branches of the United Nations system.

He is an alumnus of the International Affairs Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a recipient of academic appointments from Carnegie Mellon and New York Universities.

Mr. Adkins has served in numerous international election observation missions in Africa and the Middle East with the National Democratic Institute, has been a regular contributor to national and international media outlets on African affairs, and is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a graduate of Fisk University, one of our nation's illustrious Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

• Affiliation: 2020 New America Latino National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Office of the Secretary, USDA
• Previous Role and Organization: Managing Director, Equity and Inclusion, Aspen Institute and Chief of Staff for its Leadership Division
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Maribel Duran is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations for the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Biden-Harris Administration. She most recently served as Chief of Staff for the Aspen Institute’s Leadership Division and the organization’s first Managing Director on Equity and Inclusion. As Chief of Staff, Maribel oversees the administrative, management, and financial functions for a Division with approximately 60 employees and a $25M budget; leads its people and culture efforts; and ensures operational and individual alignment and execution to strategic priorities. As Managing Director, Maribel helps advance the Institute’s commitment to be an anti-racist organization through its practices, policies, culture and people efforts, and helps lead the Task Force on Equity and Inclusion.

Previously, Maribel served eight years under the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Education. In 2009, she joined former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary. Later, she served as Chief of Staff for the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Maribel also served as Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, member of the White House Council on Women and Girls Federal Taskforce and the Education Department’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

Maribel began her career at the Chicago Public Schools helping to advance the nation’s third-largest school district’s mission of providing a high-quality education to the city’s children. She holds a bachelor of English Language and Literature magna cum laude and an honorary doctorate in education from Southern New Hampshire University. Maribel is the first Latina board trustee at Southern New Hampshire University and a board member for the Institute on Educational Leadership. She serves on the Ricardo Salinas Scholarship Committee and the Standards and Policy Committee at the Aspen Institute. She is a 2020 Center for American Progress U.S.-Mexico Leaders Initiative Member, has been awarded the University of Denver and the Aspen Institute’s International Career Advancement Program Fellowship, honored as a “40 under 40” leader by the Leadership Center for Excellence, and has been featured in national conferences, including a Ted Talk, for her continued commitment to diversity, gender and education equity, and social justice.

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: Counsel, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Laura Kupe is currently serving as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. Kathleen Hicks, at the Department of Defense in the Biden-Harris Administration. She previously served as Counsel on the Committee on Homeland Security in the House of Representatives. Prior to that, Laura was a Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation and served as a Special Assistant at the Department of Homeland Security in the Office of International Engagement as a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration. She also served in the Presidential Personnel Office in the White House as Domestic Director.

Prior to her time in the Obama Administration, Laura was a legislative fellow for Congresswoman Karen Bass, then Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Laura graduated with a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She was born in Germany to Congolese parents and spent part of her childhood in Luxembourg before moving to the United States; she is a self-proclaimed "Afropean-American."

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, & Capabilities, Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: Space Policy Advisor, Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs
• Personal Pronouns: He/him/his
• Bio:

Daniel E. White was sworn in on February 1, 2021 as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities.

Daniel began his career as an army officer serving in East Asia, the Middle East and on the immediate staff of the 52nd Field Artillery Commandant. After leaving the army as a captain, Daniel held policy and strategy roles at the German Marshall Fund to the US, Lockheed Martin, and US Southern Command. Prior to his appointment, Daniel was a space policy advisor in the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.

A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, Daniel graduated from the U.S. Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and holds a Master of Public Administration in International Security Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point.

• Affiliation: 2020 Middle Eastern and North African American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Congressional Affairs Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce (Bureau of Industry & Security)
• Previous Role and Organization: Assistant Counsel, Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Personal Pronouns: He/Him
• Bio:

Feras Sleiman is a lawyer and an experienced policy advisor who currently serves as a legislative affairs specialist in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, where he serves as a strategic advisor and as the principal liaison between the Congress and the Department on export controls, emerging and foundational technologies, and other national security issues.

Before assuming his current role in the executive branch, Feras served in the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), where he developed and implemented her legislative and oversight efforts related to national security policy and foreign affairs, including matters before the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, nominations, and other projects. Feras earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

• Affiliation: 2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Director for Transborder Security, National Security Council
• Previous Role and Organization: Deputy Director of Immigration Policy, American Civil Liberties Union
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio: Andrea has spent the last decade working at the intersection of immigration politics and policy and has worked to reform the nation’s immigration system from multiple arenas of change.

• Affiliation: 2019 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Special Assistant, Office of Policy Planning, Department of State
• Previous Role and Organization: Research Associate, Council on Foreign Relations
• Personal Pronouns: She/her, They/them
• Bio:
  Natalia Cote-Muñoz serves as a special assistant to the head of the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning. A policy analyst who previously served as a research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations, she has published in Foreign Policy, The Diplomat, and Americas Quarterly.

  Ms. Cote-Muñoz has held fellowships with Foreign Policy for America, the German Marshall Fund, the Inter-American Dialogue, and Princeton in Asia. She holds an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Political Science from Swarthmore College. Ms. Cote-Muñoz is trilingual (English, Spanish, and French), has advanced Mandarin proficiency, and has lived and worked in China and across the Americas.

• Affiliation: Diversity in National Security Network
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy – U.S. Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: Director of the Washington Office of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Spencer P. Boyer is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy. In this capacity, he is responsible for managing the day-to-day defense relationship between the US and NATO, the EU, and the nations of Europe. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Directly before his appointment to DoD, he was the Director of the Washington Office of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and a Senior Fellow with the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania.

Spencer’s government service also includes senior roles in both terms of the Obama administration. From 2014 – 2017, he was the National Intelligence Officer for Europe in the National Intelligence Council—the center for long-range strategic thinking within the U.S. Intelligence Community. During the first term of the administration, he served as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. He has been the executive director of a Georgetown University-based NGO and a senior fellow, director, or visiting scholar with numerous think tanks, including the Brookings Institution, the Center for American Progress, the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He began his career as an associate with a major DC law firm and as a lawyer with international courts and tribunals in The Hague, Zurich, and Paris.

Spencer has been a guest analyst with numerous news outlets, including CNN, BBC, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, CTV (Canada), and Voice of America, and is widely published on public policy matters. Among other professional distinctions, he has been a Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School. He is admitted to the Bars of the District of Columbia, New York, and New Jersey, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received his J.D. from New York University School of Law. While at NYU, he also obtained a master’s degree in French Studies. You can find him on Twitter @spencerboyer and on LinkedIn.

• Affiliation: Diversity in National Security Network
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense- African Affairs
• Previous Role and Organization: Professional Staff Member, House Armed Services Committee
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Chidi Blyden is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa. In this role, she is responsible for managing the day-to-day defense relationship between the United States and African nations. She is an expert and socio-cultural advisor on Africa’s conflicts, security, and development issues. She comes to the role with policy, national security and practitioner experience from her career in government, academia, and the non-profit sectors. Her work focuses on the impact of culture in developing policy and community-centric approaches to security challenges in Africa nations underscoring the role of women and youth in peace and security.

Ms. Blyden is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, where she teaches in the Security Studies Program. She is a graduate Texas A&M University (BSc, Sociology) with a concentration in Women, Race, and Ethnic Studies and the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University (MSc, Conflict, Analysis, and Resolution). You can connect with Chidi on Twitter @chidi_blyden.

• Affiliation: 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Attorney Advisor, Department of Justice
• Previous Role and Organization: Subcommittee Director for Intelligence & Counterterrorism, House Committee on Homeland Security
• LGBTQIA+
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Sandeep Prasanna is an Attorney Advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. He was previously the Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism under the House Committee on Homeland Security. In this role, Sandeep advanced legislation and oversight on counterterrorism, national security, armed conflict and detention, civil rights and civil liberties, privacy, and DHS intelligence and law enforcement functions.

Sandeep previously served as General Counsel to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and as a Legislative Aide on the Senate Judiciary Committee for Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Sandeep worked to challenge domestic human rights abuses using international legal mechanisms as a legal fellow at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Sandeep’s prior human rights legal work sent him to Switzerland, the Netherlands, D.R. Congo, and South Africa.

Sandeep holds a JD from UCLA School of Law, where he received the Morris Greenspan Prize for best performance in international law; an MPP from UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, where he received highest honors for his applied thesis and was named Student of the Year; and an AB with distinction from Duke University.

• Affiliation: 2020 LGBTQIA+ Out in National Security Leadership List
• Administration Title and Agency: Assistant Director for Health and Life Science, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
• Previous Role and Organization: Nuclear Threat Initiative
• LGBTQIA+
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Andrew M. Hebbeler is a former life scientist with foreign affairs, national security, global health, and science and technology (S&T) policy experience. Currently, he is Assistant Director for health and life science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Most recently, he was Senior Director and Lead Scientist for Global Biological Policy and Programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Previously, he served in leadership positions at the State Department's offices of Science and Technology Cooperation (OES/STC), the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State (E/STAS), and Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR). From 2013-2015, he was Assistant Director for Biological and Chemical Threats at the Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where he oversaw American S&T efforts to combat infectious disease and chemical weapon threats.

Prior to his White House position, Dr. Hebbeler led the State Department's Biosecurity Engagement Program, a $40M program that prevents terrorist access to potentially dangerous biological materials and dual-use infrastructure and expertise, while supporting efforts to combat infectious disease and enhance public and animal health worldwide.

Dr. Hebbeler was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and received his Bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. He completed his doctoral work in the laboratory of C. David Pauza at the University of Maryland, Baltimore where he focused on understanding an unconventional lymphocyte population that is important during immune responses to infectious disease and cancer. Before joining the State Department, Dr. Hebbeler was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Warner C. Greene at The J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California. You can connect with Dr. Hebbeler on Twitter @ andrew_hebbeler.

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Senior Advisor, Bureau of African Affairs
• Previous Role and Organization: Staff Director, House Subcommittee on Africa, US House of Representatives
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Dr. Janette Yarwood currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of African Affairs at the Department of State where she leads strategic initiatives and works on long-term United States policy priorities toward sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, she was the Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International organizations where she spearheaded a comprehensive foreign policy agenda for the Chair including, managing subcommittee activities, arranging Congressional hearings, drafting legislation, and conducting oversight missions.

Prior to joining the U.S. House of Representatives, Dr. Yarwood was at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute where she was the Chair of Sub-Saharan Africa Area Studies. In that role, she was responsible for all aspects of the program including developing the curriculum for regional training for the Department of State and other US government employees preparing for an overseas assignment across Africa or covering Africa from the United States.

Before joining the Department of State, she was a Research Staff Member in the Africa Program at the Institute for Defense Analysis where her work focused on U.S. foreign policy and national security issues relating to sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Yarwood is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the Graduate Center, City University of New York. You can connect with Dr. Yarwood on Twitter @yarwoodjanette.

• Affiliation: 2020 LGBTQIA+ Out in National Security Leadership List
• Administration Title and Agency: Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement
• Previous Role and Organization: Domestic & Climate/Energy Pod Coordinator – Biden Harris Transition Team, Confirmations Department | National AAPI & LGBTQ+ Deputy Director | Senior Policy Advisor – Office of Congressman Cisneros
• LGBTQIA+
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Howard most recently served on the Biden-Harris Transition Confirmations Department on core teams working to ensure successful Senate confirmations for Biden Administration Cabinet Nominees for both the Domestic and the Climate/Energy pods; and was the National AAPI & LGBTQ+ Deputy Director for the Biden for President Campaign.

As congressional staff on Capitol Hill, Howard was most recently Senior Policy Advisor for Congressman Cisneros staffing him on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, small business, racial equity, and Asia Pacific foreign policy issues, and the Congressman’s co-staff lead for founding of the Congressional Military Transition Assistance Pathway Caucus.

Howard was Policy and Press Advisor for the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and has worked for a total of three Members of Congress from the California Delegation, including Congressman Peters and CAPAC Chairwoman Chu.

Howard is a Truman National Security Project Political Partner, New Leaders Council 2020 DC Fellow and former DC Chapter Board Member, former LGBT Congressional Staff Association Service & Community Engagement Director, 2020 NAAPPA 40 under 40 honoree, OUT in National Security 2020 Leadership List honoree, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association 2020 Mark Takai Award recipient. You can connect with him on Twitter @_H2Ou and on Instragram at _h2ou_.

• Affiliation: 2019 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders and 2020 LGBTQIA+ Out in National Security Leadership List
• Administration Title and Agency: Department of State – Senior Advisor
• Previous Role and Organization: Open Society Foundation – Senior Policy Advisor
• LGBTQIA+
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Francisco Bencosme is a Senior Advisor for the East Asian and Pacific Affairs bureau at the Department of State reporting to the Assistant Secretary. His portfolio includes democracy, human rights, climate change, emerging technology, Congress, and budget issues. Prior to joining the Department of State, he was a Senior Policy Advisor at the Open Society Foundations covering Asia and Latin America. During his time at Amnesty International USA, Francisco led the U.S. human rights policy and advocacy program towards the Asia Pacific.

Francisco has testified before Congress and has provided media commentary on multiple outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. In 2018, Francisco was named one of The Hill’s Top 2018 Lobbyist for their campaign on Myanmar Rohingya issues. Before joining AIUSA, he served as a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he assisted Democratic Senators on issues related to East Asia/Pacific, South Asia, and State Department/USAID oversight. Francisco also served as the President of the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association and as a board member of the Foreign Affairs Congressional Staff Association.

Francisco is a Truman Security Fellow, a Penn-Kemble Fellow, and an International Career Advancement Program alum. Francisco received his Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a graduate certificate from the USAF Air University, and his B.A. from Wake Forest University.

• Affiliation: Diversity in National Security Network
• Administration Title and Agency: Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Organization Affairs
• Previous Role and Organization: Senior Policy Advisor – Africa, Europe, Eurasia at Open Society Foundations
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Desirée Cormier Smith is the Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she was the Senior Policy Advisor for Africa, Europe, and Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations. In this role, she led the global foundation’s U.S. advocacy strategy and execution on a wide range of human rights issues in these dynamic and diverse issues. From 2015 until 2020, she was the Senior Director with Albright Stonebridge Group’s Africa Practice, where she advised and assisted private and social sector clients on growth strategies across the African continent.

Ms. Cormier began her career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State with assignments in Mexico, South Africa, and Washington, D.C. Ms. Cormier is the recipient of four Department of State Meritorious Honor Awards and the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Undergraduate Fellowship. She is an alumnus of the International Career Advancement Program and is a member of the 2019 class of Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship at the Center for a New American Security. She was honored by New America as a 2020 Black American National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader and is a 2020 alumnus of the New Leadership Council Washington, DC chapter. Ms. Cormier currently serves on the Advisory Council of Global Kids, an educational non-profit aimed to inspire underserved youth to pursue careers in public policy and global affairs, and on the Advisory Board of Shea Yeleen, a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women in West Africa and the U.S. Ms. Cormier is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Cormier holds a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Stanford University and a M.A. in Public Policy from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is proficient in Spanish and French.

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. State Department
• Previous Role and Organization: Communications Director at the United States Congress
• Bio:

Jalina Porter was sworn in as Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Department of State on January 20, 2021. A seasoned communications professional, Ms. Porter previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives as Communications Director for former Congressman Cedric Richmond of Louisiana who now serves as Senior Advisor to President Biden and Director of the Office of Public Engagement. Ms. Porter became a 2020 recipient of the prestigious Franklin H. Williams Award from Peace Corps headquarters for her lifetime commitment to public service and humanitarian work. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Howard University and a Master’s Degree in Global Strategic Communications from Georgetown University. You can connect with Ms. Porter @glamonthehill.

• Affiliation: 2019 LGBTQIA+ Out in National Security/Atlantic Council Next Generation List
• Administration Title and Agency: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, DoD
• Previous Role and Organization: Senior Director, Nuclear Threat Initiative
• LGBTQIA+
• Personal Pronouns: He/him
• Bio:

Richard Johnson serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction. Prior to his appointment at the Department of Defense, Johnson was Senior Director for Fuel Cycle and Verification at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. He previously served as Deputy Lead Coordinator (Acting) for Iran Nuclear Issues at the U.S. Department of State and before that as Director for Nonproliferation at the National Security Council in the Obama Administration. Johnson has held numerous positions at the Departments of State and Energy, was a member of the JCPOA (Iran) Joint Commission and the Six-Party Talks (North Korea) delegations, and was a U.S. nuclear disablement monitor at the Yongbyon nuclear facility in North Korea. Johnson also has experience in California state government and politics. He graduated as valedictorian from Claremont McKenna College and has a master’s degree from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

• Affiliation: 2020 National Security and Foreign Policy LGBTQIA+ Out Leadership List
• Administration Title and Agency: Staff Director (Northern Triangle Task Force) and Senior Advisor (Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean), USAID
• Previous Role and Organization: House Foreign Affairs Committee
• LGBTQ+
• Personal Pronouns: He/Him
• Bio:

Eric Jacobstein is a political appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration serving as the staff director for the Northern Triangle Task Force and a senior advisor in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He previously served as a senior policy advisor on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs from 2014-2021. In this role, he was the principal advisor on Latin America and the Caribbean in the House of Representatives. Before that, Jacobstein was the staff director for the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control working for Senator Dianne Feinstein. He also has worked for the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Rep. Jim Kolbe and the Inter-American Dialogue.

Jacobstein is the author of several pieces of legislation that have been enacted, including the U.S – Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act, the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act and the U.S. – Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act. In addition, he was a lecturer of international affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and was named to the National Security and Foreign Policy LGBTQIA+ Out Leadership List for 2020. Jacobstein has an M.A. in Latin American studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a B.A. in Political Science from Haverford College.

• Affiliation: 2018 Black American National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Senior Advisor, Department of State, Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs
• Previous Role and Organization: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Personal Pronouns: She/her
• Bio:

Brionne Dawson is a results-driven global public policy practitioner in Washington, DC with nearly two decades of experience in program management, sustainable development, and government affairs. Brionne serves in the Biden- Harris administration as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, supporting U.S. economic growth priorities and private sector engagement around the globe. Previously, Brionne was Senior Director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity, she advised multinational companies operating in East and Southern Africa on navigating regulatory, political, and operational risks in emerging and frontier markets. Brionne also served as a political appointee in the Obama Administration as Congressional Liaison Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Brionne earned superior and meritorious honors in federal government for her role supporting the passage of the Electrify Africa Act in Congress. Previously, Brionne held leadership positions at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Washington, DC, and South Africa, and consulted with the United Nations Development Program and National Association of Securities Professionals.

Brionne is a Truman National Security Fellow, a Fellow of the International Career Advancement Program, and one of New America's 35 Black American leaders in U.S. national security and foreign policy. She serves on the Advisory Board of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. She is also a founding board member of Grassroots Reconciliation Group, a non-profit promoting peace and reconciliation in Northern Uganda. Brionne holds a bachelors degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a masters degree in international business from the Fletcher School of law and diplomacy at Tufts University. She is proficient in French.

• Affiliation: 2019 Asian American and Pacific Islander National Security and Foreign Policy Next Generation Leaders
• Administration Title and Agency: Chief of Staff, Special Operations and Combating Terrorism Policy, Department of Defense
• Previous Role and Organization: Lead Associate, Strategic Innovation Group, Booz Allen Hamilton
• Personal Pronouns: He/Him
• Bio:

Sameer Punyani serves as the Chief of Staff for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In this role he advises senior leaders on the development, coordination, and implementation oversight of special operations and counter terrorism policy; develops and implements strategic planning initiatives; and oversees the day-to-day operations of a 40-person team of uniform military officers, civilians, and contractors.

Previously, Sameer served as an Obama administration appointee in various positions at the Department of Defense (DoD) including as an Afghanistan Policy Advisor, Egypt Country Director, and in the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to returning to DoD, Sameer was a Lead Associate in the Strategic Innovation Group at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he advised clients on their AI and analytics strategy and helped improve their organizational capabilities to get the most out of their data.

Sameer has conducted research for several think tanks and international non-governmental organizations including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chatham House, and Transparency International UK. From 2008 to 2010, he planned, organized, and managed the execution of political and official government events, including for the Obama for America campaign, the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, and official White House trips across the United States and in the Middle East.

Sameer received his MSc in Comparative Politics and Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds a B.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a two-time recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service, a 2018 German Marshall Fund Manfred Wörner Fellow, and was named an Asian American and Pacific Islander Next Generation National Security & Foreign Policy Leader by the Diversity in National Security Network and New America in 2019.