Staff
Joseph Federici serves as a Senior Policy Analyst on the Security and Foreign Affairs team where he brings over a decade of national security and foreign policy experience to the Commission.
Commission Member
Livia Shmavonian most recently was appointed by former President Joseph Biden as Made in America Director at the Office of Management and Budget. Previously she served as Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce. On Capitol Hill she worked as Staff Director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness and served as a Senior Advisor to former Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). Commissioner Shmavonian was appointed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer for a term expiring December 31, 2026.
Staff
Dr. Kathleen Hawk is the Director of the Security and Foreign Affairs team. Prior to joining the Commission, Kathleen served in a number of roles in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Commission Member
Dr. Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and a senior advisor at Macro Advisory Partners. He is the author, co-author, or editor of many books, and, his work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many other outlets. Hal has previously served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Strategic Planning, a member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and lead writer for the Commission on the National Defense Strategy for the United States. Commissioner Brands was appointed by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for a term expiring December 31, 2026.