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.
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.
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.
Hera Abbasi
Hera Abbasi is Vice President, Global Public Policy at Mastercard. She is the international trade and economic lead in the company’s Washington, DC office.Previously, she a Government and Regulatory Affairs Executive at IBM, where she advised internal business units on risk reduction and advocates externally on global trade & market access issues on a range of priorities, such as cross border data flows, digital trade, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital services taxes, supply chain, privacy, and 5G. Prior to IBM, she was the bicameral, bipartisan Hill strategist and lobbyist for the Coalition of Services Industries—a trade association that represents U.S. companies from the technology, financial services, express delivery and logistics, direct selling, electronic payments services, and e-commerce sectors.
Previously, Ms. Abbasi was a White House Appointee in the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs, where she served as Congress’s point of contact on all Europe issues, including TTIP, Russia, Ukraine, Brexit, Turkey, NATO, the European Union, Ambassadorial nominations, and Congressional Delegations. Ms. Abbasi also worked on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade, including with House leadership.
She has served as a board member of Women in International Trade (WIIT) and a co-chair for the Africa and Middle East section. She is also a member of the U.S.-Asia Institute's Congressional Circle, a co-chair of the Coalition of Services Industries’ Digital Trade Committee, and was the chair of Information Technology Industry Council’s India Committee. In 2017, she was selected as a Fellow for the Next Generation National Security Leaders Program at the Center for a New American Security.
Ms. Abbasi received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and her master’s degree from the Naval War College. Her languages include Spanish, Hindu/Urdu, Arabic, and Latin. She is the recipient of the Secretary’s Meritorious Honor Award and the Secretary’s Superior Honor Award; while on Capitol Hill, she was cited as a “Hill Staffer to Watch” in Foreign Policy’s blog, The Cable. She is a native of Boston, MA and lives in Northern Virginia with her son.
Carol Anderson
Ms. Anderson is a Sr. Corporate Counsel with Microsoft responsible for managing critical trade, supply chain, and national security compliance and policy as a member of the Corporate Legal Affairs Global Trade team. Ms. Anderson launched her career at the King County Prosecutor’s Office in Seattle, Washington, where she tried over 100 criminal and jury trials. Ms. Anderson transitioned to corporate practice, joining AT&T (then Pacific Bell Telephone Company) in San Francisco, California. Ms. Anderson’s 22-year career with AT&T took her to Washington, D.C, where she played a critical role securing global competition and regulatory approvals for significant company mergers, led the implementation of sweeping regulatory requirements across the enterprise business portfolio, and represented AT&T in global policy discussions, including participating in panels at the Internet Governance Forum and on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. She also directed domestic and global regulatory policy, trade, and compliance strategies and managed social justice and racial equity policy engagement nationwide. Ms. Anderson retired from AT&T and joined Microsoft in 2021.
Throughout her career, Ms. Anderson has promoted diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession and pro bono efforts in her community. Ms. Anderson also serves on the Board of the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL). After joining the Board in 2021, she was recently appointed to the organization’s Executive Committee. She has previously received the organization’s Virginia S. Mueller Outstanding Member Award in 2020 for her work advancing the NAWL mission through advocacy and programming. Ms. Anderson received her J.D. at Hastings College of Law in San Francisco (now UC Law, San Francisco) and her B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Anderson and her family are based in Seattle, WA.
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.
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.
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.
Sarah Haacke Byrd Sarah Haacke Byrd is a philanthropy and social impact leader, currently serving as the CEO of Women Moving Millions where she has mobilized more than $160 million in new funding to date. With over two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, Sarah has a deep understanding of the complex issues facing women and girls globally and a strong commitment to driving large-scale social change. For over two decades, Sarah has been building, guiding, and leading nonprofit organizations in Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York dedicated to strengthening democracy, expanding human rights, and advancing gender equality. Previously, Sarah worked for notable organizations, including the Joyful Heart Foundation, where she led the campaign to eliminate the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in the U.S. Sarah has been recognized throughout her career for her ability to build and lead high-performing teams and drive strategic growth in mission-driven organizations. She has been an advisor to various philanthropic initiatives and is known for her ability to mobilize and inspire the public and private sector to make significant investments in social change. Sarah served as a founding board member for Hive Gender Climate Justice Fund, is a current Ambassador Board Member for NextGen America, an Advisory Board Member at the Diverse Investing Collective, and is an Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow. She lives in New York City with her husband.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Megan Ortiz Ms. Megan Ortiz serves as President of The Cohen Group. Previously, Ms. Ortiz served as The Cohen Group’s Chief Operating Officer from 2017 to 2022. Before that, she managed multiple client engagements for the firm in defense, healthcare, technology, and other sectors, and helped clients to build and execute business development strategies in the US, Middle East, and Asia. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ortiz worked at the US Department of the Treasury in the Office of International Affairs, as well as at Cross Match Technologies, a provider of biometric identity management systems. Ms. Ortiz graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, and received her MBA from the Yale School of Management. She was also a graduate fellow at the Free University of Berlin. Ms. Ortiz currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Headstrong Project, a non-profit mental health organization providing PTSD treatment to veterans, service members, and associated family members. She is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Child Research Center, and a member of the advisory board for the Global Forum for Freedom and Justice. She has also been a Women’s Global Leadership Fellow and a Strategy and Statecraft Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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.
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.
Rebecca Torzone Rebecca Torzone is sector vice president and general manager of the Combat Systems and Mission Readiness division for Northrop Grumman’s Defense Systems sector, a leading global provider of defense solutions to enable decision-making and defeat advanced threats, while supporting military operations and readiness. In this role, Torzone leads a business focused on transforming decision-making and readiness to enable warfighters to make faster, better-informed decisions that deny, disrupt, or defeat threats across all domains and with our global allies. Included in her portfolio are programs focused on integrated battle command systems, mission planning, and immersive environments. Torzone has more than 20 years of experience within the aerospace and defense industry, working a broad set of programs across multiple domains and locations. Most recently, Torzone served as the chief growth officer of Defense Systems, where she led the strategy, business development and customer engagement activities across the sector’s global customer and industry partner communities. Prior to that role, Torzone led the Missile Products business, an industry leader in the development and production of tactical rocket motors for a variety of air, space, sea, and land-based systems, and served as the vice president of engineering and sciences for the Airborne Sensors and Networks division. Torzone earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a master’s degree in computer science from Colorado Technical University, and a master’s degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has also completed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Executive Strategy program.
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.
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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