Kristi M. Rogers, Co-Chair Kristi Rogers is a leading executive and former senior government official with extensive international leadership experience in the public and private sectors. Her strategic advice and counsel are regularly sought on issues relating to global supply chain resiliency, security and disaster response, federal government contracting, the role of business in complex and dynamic environments, and crisis communications. Today, she is the managing partner and co-founder of Principal to Principal, and P2P Strategies, strategic positioning companies operating at the most senior levels of business and government. Their objective is to bring constructive approaches to today’s multifaceted public policy issues and assist organizations with successfully addressing complex challenges. P2P manages a Global Forum and a Global Supply Chain Task Force. A recovering start-up CEO, Kristi successfully launched, managed, and grew two companies with overseas operations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Qualys Inc. (a publicly traded company), chairs its Nomination & ESG Committee and serves on its Compensation & Talent Committee; and NowSecure (a private mobile app security company), serving on its Audit and HR & Compensation Committees. Kristi also serves on the Board of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), co-chairs the Women’s Foreign Policy Group Board, and serves on the Advisory Councils for ForgePoint Capital, George Mason University’s National Security Institute, and the Silverado Policy Accelerator. She was recognized by WomenInc. as a member of their 2019 Most Influential Corporate Directors. In June 2020, she was appointed to the BENS Commission on the National Response Enterprise, chaired by former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, the Honorable Jeh Johnson, and the Chairman & CEO of Johnson & Johnson, Alex Gorsky. Previously, Kristi was a senior executive within the US government serving at the Departments of Transportation, Defense, and Homeland Security. She spent just under a year in Iraq while at Defense, also traveling extensively in the Middle East and Africa. Today she is the State Society of Michigan’s President and a regular speaker at Michigan State University’s College of Social Science and other organizations. @1KristiRogers
Lois Romano, Co-Chair Lois Romano has had a distinguished career as a political journalist at The Washington Post, Newsweek and POLITICO. She now serves as a strategic advisor at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Romano was most recently the editor of Washington Post Live, the news organization's editorial events platform. In early 2015, she returned to the Post where she had a long career as a political correspondent and profile writer. Previously, she was a senior political reporter and the first editorial director of POLITICO events. She had been instrumental in shaping live editorial programming and content for the organization's dozens of issue-driven events. During her first career at the Post, she covered seven presidential races, served as a columnist, and was a regional correspondent based in Tulsa. Romano serves on the board and on executive committee of the International Women's Research Center. She holds a Masters degree in international relations from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. @loisromano
Theresa Loar, Vice Chair Theresa Loar has been working at the nexus of business, human rights and diplomacy for over thirty years. She is currently a Senior Advisor for Business for Social Responsibility helping corporations prevent and address modern slavery. She is also a Lecturer in International Affairs at the Elliott School of George Washington University. She served as Senior Vice President for Global Corporate Affairs at CH2M, a Fortune 500 engineering firm where she worked with governments around the world on the political issues related to major infrastructure programs. During the Clinton Administration, Ms. Loar worked at the highest levels of the US government to promote and protect women’s human rights, supporting the commitment of Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright to put the advancement of women at the center of US foreign policy. She was also a co-founder and founding president of the Vital Voices Global Partnership and a Foreign Service Officer with diplomatic postings overseas and in Washington, DC. @TheresaLoar
Anita Botti, Treasurer Ms. Botti continues to participate as a consultant in foreign policy venues. From January 2018-January 2020, Ms. Botti served as the Interim Executive Director of the Exodus Institute, an NGO that mobilized private and international sector resources to address the forced migration crisis. Ms. Botti served for twenty-five years at the U.S. Department of State in roles of increasing responsibility. From 2009-2014, she served as Chief of Staff to the first-ever Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. Previously, she served as a Legislative Liaison Officer in the Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs and developed and served as the first Congressional Coordinator for the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and for the Under Secretary for Economic and Business and Agricultural Affairs. In 1997, Ms. Botti was seconded to President Clinton’s Interagency Council on Women and served as Chair of the U.S. Interagency Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings. As Chair, Ms. Botti developed, coordinated, and promoted the Department’s anti-trafficking strategy and policies. As Chair, Ms. Botti worked closely with Congress to gain bipartisan support for, and ultimate passage of, a new law entitled the “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.” Ms. Botti repeatedly represented the United States in all major domestic and international fora dealing with trafficking and other major international issues affecting women. Ms. Botti began her career at the Department of State in 1985, serving in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. As Director of the U.S. Refugee Reception and Placement Program, she had direct oversight of the cultural orientation, admission, and resettlement of over 100,000 U.S.-bound refugees annually. Ms. Botti has worked closely with the United Nations High Commissioner’s staff to develop protection guidelines and programs for unaccompanied refugee minors living in refugee camps. Before joining the Department of State, Ms. Botti served with the Peace Corps both overseas and in the U.S., starting her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the British West Indies from 1968-70. From 1972-76, she worked as Desk Officer for the Caribbean, and as Deputy Director for the Latin American Region. In recognition of her performance, she was selected to serve as the Director of Management at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington from 1976-78. Ms. Botti currently serves on the executive board of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group. She has also served on the board of Private Agencies Cooperating Together (PACT), a U.S. NGO working in development worldwide. She has earned numerous awards for her service, including the Department of State’s coveted Director General’s Cup. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in demography. Ms. Botti is married to Paul Magid.
Jennifer Clinton, Secretary Jennifer has devoted her career to international education and business because of a deep passion for bridging cultures, people, and ideas. She is best known for developing, implementing, and managing bold organizational transitions, as well as helping individuals and nonprofits to realize their full potential. Jennifer joined Cultural Vistas, a nonprofit exchange organization that annually provides global skill-building experiences for over 6,000 individuals and organizations in the United States and more than 135 countries every year, as its President and CEO in November 2017. Prior to joining Cultural Vistas, she served for five-and-a-half years as President and CEO of Global Ties U.S., where she led a grassroots network of 120 community-based organizations in 45 states and 21 countries around the world that engage 40,000 volunteers who implement public diplomacy and international exchange programs in close partnership with the U.S. Department of State. Prior to Global Ties U.S., Jennifer held leadership roles at the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, the Telecommunications Industry Association, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. Jennifer serves on the boards of Women’s Foreign Policy Group, the Alliance for International Exchange, and Open DC. She earned her executive MBA at the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business; Ph.D. in French Literature at the University of California, Davis; and her bachelor’s degree in political science and French from Marquette University. Jennifer grew up outside of Detroit and lives in Maryland with her husband and son.
Carmiel Arbit Carmiel Arbit has worked at the intersection of foreign policy and government relations for nearly two decades. She is a nonresident Senior Fellow for Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. As co-founder of Key Bridge Strategies, she has consulted for non-profit organizations around the world, advancing government relations, public diplomacy, and community engagement strategies on four continents. She has worked as a government relations professional for AIPAC, AJC, and Thomson Reuters, and as a researcher at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. Carmiel earned her BA from George Washington University and her MS from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She has been recognized as a top Foreign Policy Influencer by Diplomatic Courier; she is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Truman National Security Fellow. @c_arbit
Alyssa Ayres Alyssa Ayres is dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She also serves as an adjunct senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, where her work focuses primarily on India’s role in the world and on US relations with South Asia in the larger Indo-Pacific. Before joining CFR, Ayres served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia (2010-2013), and prior to that was founding director of the India and South Asia practice at McLarty Associates, and prior to that served in the State Department as special assistant to the Undersecretary for Political Affairs as a CFR international affairs fellow. She is the author of Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World (2018) and Speaking Like a State: Language and Nationalism in Pakistan (2009). She speaks Hindi and Urdu. @ayresalyssa
Mary Brady  Mary Brady is President and CEO for The Economic Club of Washington, DC, a premier forum for speakers, with a membership roster of senior executives representing over 800 businesses with offices in the Washington Metropolitan region. Since its founding in 1986, the Club has served as a global forum for the world’s government and international business luminaries who share insights about the critical issues of the day. Since 2008, Brady has directed the Club's scholarship program with annual giving of more than $1m each year. She is a 2014 winner of the Washington Business Journal Women Who Mean Business Award, and a member of the Board of the Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital, and the Women's Foreign Policy Group.
Lauren Bedula Lauren Bedula is a Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies, a strategic advisory firm specializing in international policy, defense, cyber, intelligence, and homeland security. Bedula currently serves as the Chair of the Business Executives for National Security (BENS) Technology and Innovation Council, and a Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. Prior to joining Beacon, Bedula served as the Director of Emerging Threats Policy at BENS and previously worked for a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. She also previously worked as a Research Associate for the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and served on the Board of Directors for the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. Bedula graduated from the American University, with a double major in Public Communication and Interdisciplinary Studies CLEG: Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government.
Elisabeth Bumiller  Elisabeth Bumiller is Washington Bureau Chief of The New York Times. Previously she was The Times' Washington Editor and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief. Before that she covered the Pentagon, the White House, John McCain's 2008 campaign and New York's City Hall for The Times. She also worked for The Washington Post in Washington, New Delhi, Tokyo and New York. In 2006 and 2007, Bumiller was a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund. She has published three books, the most recent of which was Condoleezza Rice: An American Life. @BumillerNYT
Gloria Story Dittus Gloria Story Dittus, chairman of Story Partners, is a trusted communications strategist to CEOs, business executives, Congress, and Administration officials. She built three successful companies working with leading companies including Shell, HSBC, Home Depot, Exxon, Dell, Intel, Microsoft, General Motors, Airbus, Southern Company, Noble Energy, British Telecom and Clear Channel. Wired Magazine called her the nation’s first “technology Public Affairs maven.” She has been awarded multiple Silver Anvils and recognized as Public Affairs Executive of the Year. She serves on numerous boards, including Ford’s Theater, the Arthur Page Society, the Public Affairs Council, and the Society of International Business Fellows (SIBF). An active mentor, she works with emerging global leaders. Dittus splits her time between Washington and Aspen where she is actively involved with the Aspen Institute. A native of Augusta, Georgia, she is a passionate golfer and world traveler. @GloriaDittus
Ambassador Kathleen Doherty Ambassador Kathleen Doherty has had a distinguished diplomatic and international career. She is the Chief Strategy and Retreats Officer of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, which convenes experts from around the globe for meetings and retreats that address an array of diplomatic and societal issues. Prior to her work at Sunnylands, she was a career diplomat, serving as US Ambassador to Cyprus, as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, and in leadership positions in Rome, London, and Moscow. Earlier in her diplomatic career, she served in Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Recognized with more than 15 State Department awards, Doherty has extensive experience working across the government and with industry, and has particular expertise on global economic issues including those related to energy, financial services and technology. She is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy; an advisory board member of the company sparks & honey; and a board member of the Cyprus-American Archaeological Research Institute. @kdtraveler
Keri M. Lowry Keri M. Lowry is currently a Senior Executive Consultant for National Security at Guidehouse (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers Public Sector). Previously, Lowry served as the Director of Government Affairs & External Relations at the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. She is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Private Sector Exchange at the Department of State; Regional Director for Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa at the US Peace Corps; Senior Policy Advisor at USAID; Director for Development, Democracy & Humanitarian Affairs as well as Deputy Executive Secretary at the National Security Council; and, she has held numerous other senior positions at USAID. Prior to her career in government, Lowry managed an international exchange program at a NGO, was an after-school teacher at a homeless shelter, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso. Lowry serves on the boards of the Children’s Guild Alliance and the Peace Corps Advisory Council of Future.
Michele Lynch Michele Lynch is a Senior Policy Advisor at TMG, an ICT regulatory consulting firm, advising clients on global digital policy issues. She is also an Adjunct Professor with the Duke University Science and Society Initiative, focused on advancing technology policy cooperation through international organizations. Previously, Lynch led strategic engagement with the diplomatic community and international organizations as a member of Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team. Prior to Google, she managed a global technology project at the American Red Cross which explored the use of emerging technology for disaster response and served as Director of the Office of the Chairman of the Board of Governors. She also worked at the British High Commission in Malaysia, USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance and the White House Office of Presidential Advance. Lynch holds a MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. @michmlynch
Shaista Mahmood Shaista Mahmood, originally from Pakistan, has been a leading figure in Washington’s philanthropic, diplomatic, ecumenical and political circles for over twenty years. She has devoted her considerable talents to encourage bipartisan bridge building among cultures and faiths and support for global efforts to promote the empowerment of women and girls. In response to 9/11, Shaista Mahmood and her husband Ray were moved to promote a better understanding of their Muslim faith through dialogue and their discussions have continued and expanded with the active participation from leaders from across the political spectrum. She serves on the International Advisory Board of USIP, the board of the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy. She was instrumental in advocating for the creation of the US Pakistan Women’s Council launched at the UN in 2012.
Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall Capricia Penavic Marshall is Ambassador-in-Residence at the Atlantic Council and author of "Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work for You" (2020). She is also President of Global Engagement Strategies, which advises international public and private clients on the nexus of business and cultural diplomacy. From 2009 to 2013, she was Chief of Protocol of the United States, bearing the rank of Ambassador and setting the stage for diplomacy at the highest levels. She also fostered connections between the foreign Diplomatic Corps and US civil society through the new Diplomatic Partnerships Office. Previously, she served as Deputy Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary (1997-2001) and Special Assistant to First Lady Hillary Clinton (1993-1997). She holds a BA from Purdue and a JD from Case Western Reserve. In 2013, she was awarded the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award. She serves on several boards including the Blair House Restoration Fund and Council of American Ambassadors. @AmbassadorCPM
Gebe Martinez Gebe Martinez, founder and principal of GM Networking, was a journalist for 33 years for news organizations including the Los Angeles Times, Politico and Congressional Quarterly. She also served as a news analyst for networks including PBS, NPR, and BBC. Martinez entered the issue advocacy arena as a writer and policy analyst for the Center for American Progress. Beginning with the 2012 election season, she has focused her communications work on campaigns to engage the Latino vote. Martinez has provided strategic communications services for groups such as National Immigration Law Center, Mi Familia Vota, and Voto Latino, to promote commonsense immigration reform policies and to advance Hispanic civic engagement including voter registration and voter turnout. She also works with Diane Guerrero, an actress who is a cast member of “Orange Is the New Black” and “Jane the Virgin.” @gebemartinez
British A. Robinson British A. Robinson has more than 20 years of experience in international and domestic health, corporate social responsibility, public-private partnerships, government relations, and advocacy and policy development. As President and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, Robinson leads their efforts using technology and innovative programming to build a stronger, more equitable America. Robinson previously served as Founding CEO of the Women’s Heart Alliance, and in leadership positions at Women for Women International and Susan G. Komen. Her tenure at the Department of State included leading public-private partnership efforts for PEPFAR and Secretary Clinton’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. Robinson holds an MA from Johns Hopkins, a BA from George Washington University, and an honorary doctorate from Fairfield University. She serves as a Senior Advisor for Concordia; as a member of the XPRIZE Racial Equity Alliance Brain Trust; on the boards of Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and Leadership Roundtable; on the advisory council of the Inter-American Foundation; and on the advisory boards of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group, Arlington Partners International, and Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. In 2022, Robinson was named one of Forbes’ 50 Over 50 for Impact – a list of social entrepreneurs and changemakers who are helping to make the world a better, more equitable place.
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson Ambassador Barbara J. Stephenson, a former US ambassador and career Foreign Service officer, is the inaugural vice provost for global affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She leads UNC Global and advances a pan-university strategy to enhance Carolina’s global reach, impact and reputation. She is also a Professor of the Practice in UNC’s Peace, War and Defense curriculum, where she engages the next generation of global leaders on topics such as conflict resolution and the ethics of government leadership. She was previously the dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute and served as US Ambassador to Panama from 2008-2010. She was the first woman to hold the position of chargé d‘affairs and deputy ambassador at the US Embassy in London. Originally from Florida, she earned her PhD, MA, and BA from the University of Florida, majoring in English literature with minors in Latin American studies and political science.
The Honorable Andrea Thompson Andrea Thompson has a distinguished career in international policy, national security, intelligence and leader development. Ms. Thompson is Vice President for International Programs at Northrop Grumman, a leader in global security. She was confirmed as Under Secretary of State in 2018, following service as National Security Advisor to the Vice President. Prior to government roles, Thompson led the McChrystal Group Leadership Institute. A proud military veteran, Thompson served for over 25 years in the US Army, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She also served as the National Security Advisor to the Chairman, House Homeland Security Committee, and the Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee. Thompson is also the Professor of Practice at Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Dakota State University in her home state of South Dakota. She co-authored the book Achieving Victory in Iraq: Countering an Insurgency, is a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and serves on the advisory board for the UK AI company, Adarga.
Maureen White  Maureen White is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins SAIS. She was the Senior Advisor on Humanitarian Issues in the Office of the Special Representation to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Department of State (2009-2013). In the Clinton administration, she represented the US at the United Nations Children’s Fund (1997-2001). In addition, she was National Finance Co-chair of the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign 2008 and served as National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2001-2006). Prior to that, she had a career in international economic research in New York, London and Tokyo. She serves on the boards of numerous organizations involved in global issues including Refugees International (Chairman of the Board), the International Rescue Committee, National Democratic Institute, the American Academy in Berlin and the Women’s Foreign Policy Group. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She received a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics. @MaureenWhite
Patricia Ellis Patricia Ellis is President Emeritus and Co-Founder of the Women's Foreign Policy Group. She is also the President and Founder of Ellis Global Issues Forums LLC. In her 22 years leading the WFPG, she developed and moderated programs with high-profile speakers and developed career events for thousands of next generation leaders. Before founding the WFPG, she was a foreign affairs reporter and producer for the MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour and a producer in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Washington bureau. Patricia taught at AU’s Washington Semester Program specializing in news coverage of foreign affairs. She also conducted research at the US UN Mission and the Center for International Studies at MIT, and was awarded a fellowship at the Joan Shorenstein Center at Harvard's Kennedy School. Patricia was part of the MacNeil-Lehrer team that won the George Peabody Award for the documentary series on South Africa, “Faces of Apartheid” and an Emmy Award for coverage of the Grenada Crisis. She participated in the European Community Visitors Program and received the Netherlands Universities’ Foundation for International Cooperation Scholarship for graduate study in The Hague. She is a founding board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Cosmos Club’s International Affairs Committee. She holds a BA from Wheaton College, an MA from NYU, and a graduate diploma in international relations from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague.
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