Meet our Next Speaker
Michelle Lenihan
June 8, 2026
Topic: The Future of US Engagement in Africa
Michelle Lenihan is the Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. She previously served in various national security roles in the Pentagon, the White House, and the U.S. Senate – to include acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, Chief of Staff for Homeland Defense and Global Security, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and National Security Council Director for African Affairs. Additionally, she served on the Department of Defense’s Reserve Forces Policy Board.
Outside of government, Michelle advised leading corporates and investors, associate produced for ABC News, led the creation of the first dialysis center in Guyana, and taught in Johannesburg. She currently serves as the Board Chair for the Hearts of Pine Foundation and is a member of the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) AMERICA Advisory Board.
Michelle earned a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Her journalism honors include a George F. Peabody Award, an Emmy Award, and an Alfred I. DuPont Silver Baton Award. While at Harvard, she received the Dean’s Excellence Award for Innovation. At the Pentagon, she earned the Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service, the Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, and the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award. She is a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Meetings open to members and members’ guests only. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings take place at Elk Hall, 210 Rankin Street in Rockland. The speaker begins promptly at noon and lunch is served from 1 PM.
Audios of Past Presentations
Listed below are links to recent presentations. Click to listen:
- Dr. Isaiah Wilson: Why America Keeps Winning Battles—and Losing the Peace
- George Chalos: Anchoring Power – The Rise of the US as Global Enforcers in the Maritime Industry Click here for Slides.
- Christina Bobrow: Ice in the Mediterranean: Frozen Conflict on the Island of Cyprus Click here for Slides
- Nader Habibi: The Economy of Iran in the Shadow of International Sanctions and the Supreme Leader
- Blas Nuñez-Neto: Status of Asylum Laws and Practices Click here for Slides
- Jane Holl Lute: Securing the Homeland Since 9/11: What Have We Learned?
- Silkroad Trio (Soft Power in Action) Introductory Panel Silkroad Performance
- Ambassador Christopher Hill: Foreign Policy Challenges in Uncertain Times
- Mohamed Bouabdallah and Carla Canales: Soft Power — An Essential Element of Foreign Relations
- Farah Pandith: SOFT POWER — How We Win: The Threat from Hate and the Power of Compassion
- Sherri Goodman: Arctic Security in a Changing Environment and Sherri’s Slides: Threat Multiplier
- Kenneth Frankel: How Current US Policies Create Uncertainty in Western Hemisphere Relations
- Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman: Adrift: The UN, Multilateralism, and US Disengagement
- Joshua Landis: Syria and the Middle East
- Martin Mühleisen on The IMF and World Bank in the New Geopolitical Environment
- Admiral Michael Rogers on Current Hot Spots of the World
- Henry Haggard on The US-Korea Relationship in Transition
- Ambassador Douglas Lute on The Future of NATO
- James Bosworth on Mapping Latin America’s Current Politics
- Clark Adams on Defense Diplomacy in Central Asia and Clark’s slides: Defense Diplomacy
- John Lee on China and Indo-Pacific Security
- Dr. Steven Koonin on The Realities of Climate and Energy. and Steve’s slides: Realities slides
- Dr. Elizabeth Cameron on National Security in an Age of Pandemic Threats
- Ambassador Lawrence Butler: NATO at 75—Relevant, Obsolete, or Dangerous?
- Jack Goldsmith on The Decline of Congress in the Conduct of Foreign Affairs, and accompanying slides
- Robert Einhorn on Nuclear Non-proliferation
- Matthew Goodwin on Brexit, Trump, Le Pen, and National Populism
- Ambassador Anne Hall: The Baltic Nations — Profiles in Courage
- Ambassador Jake Walles: The Israel-Gaza Conflict
- Heather Cox Richardson: Democracy Awakening
- John Deutch: Challenges to Future Climate Policy
- Thomas Blanton: The Downsides of Government Secrecy
- Shanthi Kalathil: Challenges to Democracy in the Age of Misinformation
- Ambassador Charles Ray: Why Africa Matters
- Tom Ricks: First Principles: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country
- Amna Nawaz: On the Frontlines: Reporting Overseas and Here at Home
- Christopher Costa: Counterterrorism and the Future Terrorism Threat
- Susan Landau: The Reality of Cyberwar — In Ukraine and Elsewhere
- Jon Wolfsthal: Is a New Era of Nuclear Danger Upon Us?
- Amb. Derek Mitchell: Democracy and International Security
- Admiral Michael Rogers: Russia and Ukraine
For Would-be New Members:
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How to Contact Us
We can be contacted by email, mail, or phone:
The Mid-Coast Forum on Foreign Relations
PO Box 41
Rockport, ME 04856
207-332-6567