JESSICA MATHEWS
Current job: President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Qualifications: Jessica Matthews has long-standing experience in government, having served on Jimmy Carter's National Security Council and in Bill Clinton's State Department, but first established herself as a leading foreign-policy thinker with the widely cited 1997 Foreign Affairs article "Power Shift," which predicted a move away from national governments years before "American decline" became a catchphrase. That same year, she took over as president of the Carnegie Endowment -- FP's former publisher -- and has expanded it into a global think tank with offices in five countries. Like Obama, she was a vocal opponent of the Iraq war, and she has been calling for environmental issues to be part of the nation's national security portfolio - now conventional wisdom -- since the 1980s.
KRISTIN LORD
Current job: Incoming executive vice president, U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)
Qualifications: An administration gig would be another quick turnaround for Kristin Lord, who was just named to her position at USIP after four years as director of studies at CNAS -- a time when the think tank emerged as perhaps Washington's most influential voice on military and security affairs. Before that, she held several positions at the Brookings Institution and George Washington University, focusing primarily on U.S. grand strategy. She was a special advisor to undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs Paula Dobriansky during George W. Bush's administration. She has recently argued that the State Department should take cues from the private sector in reforming its processes to become more cost-efficient.
NITA LOWEY
Current job: U.S. representative from New York's 17th district
Qualifications: As the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Nita Lowey has been a leading congressional voice in defense of foreign aid spending, championing funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development, relief efforts in Darfur, increased attention to HIV/AIDS in the developing world, and enhancement of development work targeted at women's rights. She has national security experience as well, having served on the House's Select Intelligence Oversight Panel and the Homeland Security Subcommittee. As a bonus for the president's political advisors, unlike other leading congressional voices on national security like Jeanne Shaheen and Tammy Duckworth, she represents a safe Democratic district in suburban New York.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; United States Institute of Peace; Alex Wong/Getty Images
SUBJECTS:
