Steven Baker is a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His responsibilities include national security investigations, new agent training, maritime security coordination, and response to cases involving hazardous materials. He has taught as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Department at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Before his work in federal law enforcement, Mr. Baker worked as a Senior Research Associate for the Center for Security Policy and as a columnist for FrontPageMagazine.com. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Colgate University and an M.A. in Statecraft and National Security Affairs from the Institute of World Politics.
Matthew Continetti is the Opinion Editor for the Weekly Standard. Prior to his current position, he served the magazine as an Editorial Assistant, a Reporter, a Staff Writer, and an Associate Editor. He is the author of two books: The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star (2009) and The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine (2006). In addition to his responsibilities as a writer and editor, Mr. Continetti served as a Phillip Foundation Journalism Fellow, researching demographic change and its influence on American politics, society, and business. He holds a B.A. in History from Columbia University.
Mia Costello is Representative for the 27th district in the Alaska House of Representatives. She has significant experience in both government and education. Her previous positions include Education Specialist for Nine Star Education & Employment Services, Deputy Director of Communications for Governor Frank Murkowski, and Legislative Aide to Representative Norman Rokeberg (District 27, AK). She has also taught high school, where she gained distinction by earning the Co-Nect National Award for Excellence in the Classroom. A competitive swimmer in both high school and college, Ms. Costello was the first Alaskan to qualify for the Olympic Trials in swimming and the first Harvard woman to qualify for NCAA Division I swimming. She holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and an M.A. in Teaching from University of Alaska Southeast.
Stephen Coughlin is the Director of Strategic Communications for Jorge Scientific Corporation, where he specializes in providing analysis and intelligence about jihadist threats to American security and interests. Mr. Coughlin's experience in government and security policy includes a position as Program Manager for LexisNexis Special Services, where he provided intelligence to Federal agencies and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As a United States Army Reserve Officer, Mr. Coughlin served at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, was assigned to US Central Command in Doha, Qatar, and mobilized for Operation Desert Storm in Wurzburg, Germany. He has held management positions in the legal publishing houses LexisNexis and West Group. He also worked as a Law Clerk in International Law for Honeywell, Inc. Mr. Coughlin holds a B.A. in History from the University of Minnesota, a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and an M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College.
Sadanand Dhume is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal Asia. A naturalized US citizen born in India, he researches and writes about US-India and US-Pakistan relations, and more broadly about foreign policy, politics and business in South Asia. In his work as a researcher and journalist, Mr. Dhume has held positions as a Bernard Schwartz Fellow of the Asia Society, a Correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review, and an Associate Producer for MSNBC. His stories and opinions have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Forbes, YaleGlobal, Harvard International Review,Commentary, and Global Asia. His television and radio appearances include BBC World Television, CNN, PBS, Al Jazeera International, CNBC Asia, ABC Television (Australia), Fora TV, BBC World Service Radio, NPR, and ABC Radio. He is the author of My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with an Indonesian Islamist (2008) and a contributor to India Briefing: Quickening the Pace of Change (2002) and Business in Indonesia: New Challenges, Old Problems(2004). Mr. Dhume holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Delhi, an M.S. from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and an M.P.A. in International Relations from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
David Eastman has served as a John Jay Fellow at the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society and Law and as a Military Police Captain in the United States Army. While serving in the Army, he was assigned as Installation Provost Marshal for Camp Eggers and as the Armed Forces Chief of Anti-Terrorism and Force Protection for the 56th Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. Prior to his work with the John Jay Institute he completed a Graduate Fellowship in jurisprudence at Oxford University. Mr. Eastman is a decorated veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and has extensive experience as both a law enforcement and anti-terrorism professional. He received his Bachelor of Science in Law & Legal Studies from West Point, and an M.A. in Apologetics from Biola University.
Brooke Goldstein is the Founder and Director of The Lawfare Project, the Founder and Director of the Children's Rights Institute, and an Associate Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. She previously served as the director of the Legal Project at the Middle East Forum. An attorney by training, Brooke Goldstein focuses on human rights issues, especially those relating to children around the world, as well as the abuse of the law and legal processes for political and military gain. Through her film production company, A2B Film Productions, she produced and directed the award-winning documentary film The Making of a Martyr, in an effort to uncover the illegal recruitment of Palestinian children for suicide bombings. She regularly appears on FOX News and has also been featured on CNN and WABC News Talk Radio. Her articles have been published in the New York Daily News, the American Spectator, the Counter Terrorist, and Special Ops. She holds a B.A. from McGill University and a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
John Guandolo is the Vice President of Strategic Planning for the Strategic Engagement Group. He specializes in matters of national security, especially those related to jihadist threats. Prior to his current work as an advisor, Mr. Guandolo served in the FBI and the United States Marine Corps. At the FBI he conducted narcotics investigations, investigated threats against major government officials, worked on counterterrorism, and served as an Undercover Agent and a Team Leader for the FBI-SWAT Team. His work creating and implementing the FBI's first Counterterrorism Training Program focused on the threat from the Global Islamic Movement has received considerable recognition. Mr. Guandolo took his commission as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the Naval Academy with a B.S. in General Engineering. He served in Operation Desert Shield/Storm and various other missions, and was a combat diver, freefall parachutist, and graduate of the Army Ranger School.
Richard Higgins is the Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Chair at the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University. Mr. Higgins previously served as a Program Manager for the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (Irregular Warfare Support Group) and the Technical Support Working Group at the Department of Defense. In his work for the DoD he had the responsibility of briefing various high-ranking officials, including the Office of the Vice President, the National Security Council, the Director of Central Intelligence, the FBI Director, Ambassadors, Senators, and Congressmen. He has also worked as a Project Engineer for the System Planning Corporation on a project for the Department of Justice, Office of Science and Technology. Prior to his work combating terrorism, Mr. Higgins served as a Non-Commissioned Officer for the United States Army. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and an M.A. in Strategic Security from National Defense University.
Klon Kitchen holds the National Counterterrorism Center Chair at National Defense University. He previously served as the National Counterterrorism Center's Chief of Extremist Messages and Influence, where his team developed and implemented whole-of-government counter-ideology strategies. Prior to this, he served in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, providing program oversight to the Nation's counterproliferation and special intelligence activities. Mr. Kitchen also was awarded the Defense Intelligence Agency's Combat Support Medal and Civilian Expeditionary Medal while serving as the Agency's lead for al-Qa`ida senior leadership and completing multiple deployments around the globe. He holds a B.A. in Theology and Philosophy from Bryan College and an M.A. in Strategic Security Studies from National Defense University; his forthcoming book, Strategic Influence in Wars Amongst the People, will be published by Borderstone Press in late 2011.
Seth Leibsohn is a Senior Partner with Leibsohn & Associates, a Washington, D.C. based consulting firm. A writer, editor, and communications expert, Leibsohn has counseled, written speeches for, and collaborated with candidates for national office and several former Cabinet officials. He has also collaborated in the writing of prominent op-eds, speeches, and several national best-selling books. For the past several years he has served as the Chief of Staff to former Education Secretary William J. Bennett with whom he recently co-authored The Fight of Our Lives. Mr. Leibsohn has been the producer, co-host, and guest host for the nationally syndicated radio show, "Bill Bennett's Morning in America," helping to make it the 7th largest national radio show in the country with over 3.5 million listeners. He is a Fellow-on-Leave with the Claremont Institute, and the former Vice President of Empower America. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Pitzer College, an M.A. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University, and a J.D. from Northeastern University.
Clare Lopez is a senior level consultant for Middle East issues, a strategic policy analyst, and a program manager in a variety of intelligence-field positions. She currently serves as a Senior Fellow for both the Center for Security Policy and Gerard Group International alongside her positions as HUMINT Analysis Instructor for C-HET Solutions, Iran Subject Matter Expert Consultant for Universal Strategy Group, Counterintelligence Role Player/Trainer for EKS Group, and Vice President for Intelligence Summit Educational Forum. Her previous positions include various intelligence analysis and intelligence instruction responsibilities for government and military contractors. She entered and became an active member of the intelligence community during her twenty-year career as a Senior Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. Interviews with Ms. Lopez have been featured in the filmsIranium and The Third Jihad and on CNN, Fox News, al-Hurra and al-Jazeera TV, Russian TV, and the Christian Broadcast Network. She holds a B.A. in Communications and French from the Notre Dame College of Ohio and an M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.
Jacki Pick is Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution and Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Trent Franks, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution. Ms. Pick's portfolio includes issues of national security and criminal and constitutional law. Prior to her work in public policy, Ms. Pick worked as an Assistant Vice President for Wachovia Corporate Trust and an associate for a prominent litigation firm. She serves on the Capitol Hill Steering Committee of the Federalist Society and the Board of Visitors of the Fund for American Studies–Legal Studies Institute. She holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Marshall University and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University Law School.
Max Schulz is a Communications Advisor for the ExxonMobil Corporation. Prior to joining ExxonMobil, he founded the Manhattan Institute's Center for Energy Policy and the Environment, where he promoted the practical application of free-market principles in energy debates with a particular focus on the intersection of energy, the economy, and the environment. Mr. Schulz has also served as Senior Policy Advisor and Director of Speechwriting for United States Secretaries of Energy Samuel Bodman and Spencer Abraham. He has worked as Editorial Director at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an Editor for Regnery Publishing, Managing Editor for Forbes MediaCritic Magazine, and an advisor to Steve Forbes's 1996 presidential campaign. He holds a B.A. in History from Vanderbilt University.
Russ Vought is the Political Director for Heritage Action for America, a sister organization to the Heritage Foundation. He draws upon his considerable experience in public policy to advise and manage Heritage Action in its mission to combine grassroots activism with well-crafted conservative policy analysis. His political experience includes a number of Capitol Hill Staff positions. He has served as the Policy Director of the House Republican Conference, Executive Director and Policy Director of the Republican Study Committee, Policy Director for Congressman Jeb Hensarling, and Legislative Assistant to Senators Hagel and Gramm. Mr. Vought holds a B.A. in Political Science and History from Wheaton College and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.
