Upcoming Speakers
Jeremy Konyndyk
October 15, 2024
Topic: Providing Humanitarian Assistance in a Conflict Zone
Jeremy Konyndyk is president of Refugees International. A committed humanitarian advocate and seasoned emergency operator, he has served in senior appointments in two U.S. administrations and in a range of U.S. and overseas NGO leadership positions.
Prior to joining Refugees International, Jeremy served in the Biden administration as USAID’s lead official for COVID-19. He oversaw USAID’s multi-billion-dollar COVID-19 assistance portfolio, led the design and implementation of the administration’s Global VAX initiative, and coordinated the U.S. government’s global donations of hundreds of millions of vaccine doses. He later served as the administration’s lead official for the global MPox response. He also served on the Biden-Harris transition teams for the Departments of State and Health and Human Services.
From 2013–2017, Jeremy served in the Obama administration as the director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), where he led the U.S. government’s response to international disasters. He managed a large global team with annual resources of more than $1.4 billion, responding to crises including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the 2016 Ethiopia drought, conflict in Northern Nigeria, the Nepal earthquake, the Iraq crisis, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, resurgent conflict in South Sudan, and the war in Syria, among other crises. He also led the Agency’s preparations for the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit.
Between his administration appointments, Jeremy worked from 2017–2020 as a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, focusing on humanitarian response and pandemic preparedness research. He developed and led CGD’s “Rethinking Humanitarian Reform” initiative, exploring how the humanitarian system could meaningfully shift power and influence toward crisis-affected populations – and why it has traditionally failed in its commitments to do so.
Jeremy has worked extensively in the humanitarian NGO sector, serving as a country director in West Africa and East Africa with American Refugee Committee (now Alight), and as a policy director in Washington, DC with Mercy Corps. He began his career in the Balkans, working on the response to the 1999 war in Kosovo. He also worked with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
He is currently a member of the World Health Organization’s high level Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee, which oversees the agency’s Health Emergencies Programme and advises the WHO Director-General. He has served as the U.S. representative to the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and as the U.S. representative and chair of the OCHA Donor Support Group (ODSG).
He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with his wife, two sons, and dog, and enjoys baking, traveling, and triathlons.
Clark Adams
November 4, 2024
Topic: Defense Diplomacy in Central Asia
Clark Adams served as the Director for Central Asian Affairs in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from January 2007 until his retirement in February 2024. He and his team were responsible for the management of US defense relations with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In spring 2008, he was temporarily detailed to the National Security Council to serve as the Director for Central Asian Affairs, where he was responsible for all matters related to US relations with the five Central Asian states.
Previously, Mr. Adams held the position of Director for US Capabilities Development for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations, where his portfolio included implementing the US Department of Defense (DoD) Directive on “Military Support to Security, Stabilization, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations” and providing Defense Department support to the 2005 national security presidential directive on irregular warfare and counterinsurgency. Mr. Adams also held the position of Deputy Director in the DoD Nonproliferation Policy office. In this role, he was the Office of the Secretary of Defense Representative to the Missile Technology Control Regime, Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the Australia Group on Chemical & Biological Weapons and worked on regional issues such as North Korean missile proliferation, Chinese nonproliferation controls, and strategic cooperation with India.
His earlier government experience includes security assistance and foreign military sales, weapon systems export policies, international defense cooperation and intelligence. He also was a research assistant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr. Adams has an MS in National Security Strategy from the National War College, an MA in International Relations from The Pennsylvania State University, and a BA in Economics and Political Science also from Pennsylvania State University.
Douglas Lute
January 13, 2025
Topic: The Future of NATO
Ambassador Douglas Lute is the former United States Ambassador to NATO. Appointed by President Obama, he assumed the Brussels-based post in 2013 and served until 2017. During this period, he was instrumental in designing and implementing the 28-nation Alliance responses to the most severe security challenges in Europe since the end of the Cold War.
A career Army officer, in 2010 Lute retired from active duty as a lieutenant general after 35 years of service. In 2007 President Bush named him as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor to coordinate the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009 he was the senior White House official retained by President Obama and his focus on the National Security Council staff shifted to South Asia. Across these two Administrations, he served a total of six years in the White House.
Before being assigned to the White House, General Lute served as Director of Operations (J3) on the Joint Staff, overseeing U.S. military operations worldwide. From 2004 to 2006, he was Director of Operations for the United States Central Command, with responsibility for U.S. military operations in 25 countries across the Middle East, eastern Africa and Central Asia, in which over 200,000 U.S. troops operated.
Through his military-diplomatic career, he received numerous honors and awards, including three awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Grand Officer of the Order of Merit for the Italian Republic, and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit for the Federal Republic of Germany.
General Lute holds degrees from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and United States Military Academy at West Point, which named him a Distinguished Graduate in 2018. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a charter member of the Senior Military Advisory Group of the United States Institute of Peace; a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy; and a member of the board of the Atlantic Council of the United States.
Admiral Michael Rogers
March 10, 2025
Topic: Current Hot Spots of the World
Admiral Michael Rogers retired from the US Navy in 2018 after nearly 37 years of naval service rising to the rank of four-star admiral. He culminated his career with a four-year tour as Commander, US Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency. In those roles he worked with the leadership of the US government, the DoD, and the US Intelligence community as well as their international counterparts in the conduct of cyber and intelligence activity across the globe. He also assisted in the development of national and international policy with respect to cyber, intelligence and technology – including extensive work with corporate leadership in the Finance, IT, Telecommunications and Technology sectors.
During his broader service in uniform, Admiral Rogers held positions afloat and ashore around the globe focusing on cyber, intelligence, maritime operations and national security. His joint service was extensive including duty with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Indo Pacific Command and US Atlantic Command. In addition, Admiral Rogers commanded at the unit, Numbered Fleet and service component levels in the Navy.
Admiral Rogers is a graduate of Auburn University and also holds a Masters of Science in National Security. He is a distinguished graduate of the National War College and a graduate of highest distinction from the Naval War College. He is also an MIT Seminar XXI fellow and a Harvard Senior Executive in National Security alum.
Admiral Rogers is currently supporting companies in the private sector, serving as a member of various Boards or acting as a Senior Advisor. He also speaks globally to various business and academic groups and is working internationally in the cyber and national security arenas. He is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor with Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Managements’ Public Private Initiative and a member of the advisory board of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure.