CSET Advisory Board
Advisory Board Members
Lauren Bedula
Lauren Bedula is a Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies and leads the firm’s National Security Technology Practice. She also co-hosts the “Building the Base” podcast. Prior to joining Beacon…
Lauren Bedula is a Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies and leads the firm’s National Security Technology Practice. She also co-hosts the “Building the Base” podcast. Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Bedula served as the Director for Policy, Emerging Threats at Business Executives for National Security (BENS). She also previously worked as a research analyst for a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom and as a Research Associate for the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Ms. Bedula serves on the Board of Directors for BENS, as Vice Chair of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group Board of Directors, and on the Stimson Center’s Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council.
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Michael Brown
Michael Brown is a Partner at Shield Capital and serves in a variety of advisory and fellowship roles at the Council on Global Competition and Innovation, the Special Competitive Studies Project…
Michael Brown is a Partner at Shield Capital and serves in a variety of advisory and fellowship roles at the Council on Global Competition and Innovation, the Special Competitive Studies Project, the Institute for Security and Technology, and the Center for a New American Security. He previously served as the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit at the Department of Defense. Prior to DIU, Mr. Brown served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow where his work served as a catalyst for the Foreign Risk Review Modernization Act. Mr. Brown has extensive private sector experience, having served as CEO of Symantec Corporation, Chairman of EqualLogic, and Chairman & CEO of Quantum Corporation. He serves on the boards of Strider Technologies, Asimily, Anetac, Code Metal and Nexla.
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Alan Estevez
The Honorable Alan Estevez is a recognized leader with extensive national security, trade and export controls, defense, aerospace, and semi-conductor experience. He serves as a senior advisor…
The Honorable Alan Estevez is a recognized leader with extensive national security, trade and export controls, defense, aerospace, and semi-conductor experience. He serves as a senior advisor to Covington as well as other prominent companies, providing advice on national security, supply chain, and export control policies. He served as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security where he led the Bureau of Industry and Security’s efforts to advance U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic opportunity. Previously, Mr. Estevez served a 36-year career at the Department of Defense, including as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Material Readiness. Mr. Estevez has been awarded three Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medals, the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, two Presidential Rank Awards, and the Service to America Medal for National Security.
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Michael J. Howard
Michael J. Howard is an experienced private investor, senior executive, and board member. He is Chief Operating Officer of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, one of the largest public…
Michael J. Howard is an experienced private investor, senior executive, and board member. He is Chief Operating Officer of the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, one of the largest public pension funds in the U.S. with approximately $73 billion in assets under management. Mr. Howard previously served as a Board of Trustee for the System. During his tenure as a Trustee, he held several key positions, including Investment Committee Chair and Audit Committee Vice Chair. He also represented the System on the Council of Institutional Investors’ Board of Directors. Mr. Howard is also the Founder of the MJH Group, LLC, a private investment and management consulting firm. Prior to founding the firm, he worked in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance. Before joining the SEC, he had an extensive public accounting career with PricewaterhouseCoopers and other regional firms. He was a Strategic Advisor to the White House Business Council during the Obama Administration. He is a distinguished member of the Economic Club of New York and a Life Member with the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Howard is an active Certified Public Accountant.
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Joel Meyer
Joel Meyer is Head of Federal Civilian, Public Sector for Anthropic. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security…
Joel Meyer is Head of Federal Civilian, Public Sector for Anthropic. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Chief of Staff in the DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans. Mr. Meyer led efforts to produce DHS’s first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review in nine years, implemented the department’s first AI task force, and led the Department’s input on the 2022 National Security Strategy. He previously served as a director on the White House National Security Council. Mr. Meyer is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
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Sarah Sewall
The Honorable Sarah Sewall is Executive Vice President for National Innovation Strategy at IQT and leads its new Compass strategic investing. Prior to joining IQT, she served in senior national…
The Honorable Sarah Sewall is Executive Vice President for National Innovation Strategy at IQT and leads its new Compass strategic investing. Prior to joining IQT, she served in senior national security roles at the Department of State, Department of Defense, and on Capitol Hill. Dr. Sewall spent a decade on the faculty at the Harvard Kennedy School and taught at the Naval War College. She served on the Defense Policy Board under Secretaries Gates and Hagel and is currently a Trustee of the Center for Naval Analyses.
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