1. BEACON GLOBAL STRATEGIES
2101 L STREET, SUITE 800
WASHINGTON, DC 20037-1657
info@beaconglobalstrategies.com
media@beaconglobalstrategies.com
202-903-0743
OUR TEAM
The BGS Team has deep experience informed by their years of service in the White House, State
Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector.
2. Jeremy Bash
FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTORREAD BIO
Philippe Reines
FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTORREAD BIO
10. Jeremy Bash is a Founder and Managing Director of Beacon Global Strategies
LLC.
Mr. Bash has spent the past 15 years advising national leaders and chief executives on a range of strategic,
management, legal, and policy issues.
He is the only Obama Administration official to have served as Chief of Staff in two national security
departments or agencies: first as Chief of Staff to the Director of the CIA (2009-2011) and most recently as
Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (2011-2013). As a senior advisor to Leon E. Panetta in both roles, Mr.
Bash worked on a number of key initiatives, including the creation of a new defense strategy, formation of two
defense budgets, the drawdown of two wars, counterterrorism operations, a new cyber strategy, and a range of
sensitive intelligence operations. He traveled with Secretary Panetta to more than 50 countries. From August
2010 to May 2011, he was a member of the CIA’s senior management team overseeing the operation that killed
Osama Bin Laden.
At the Pentagon, Mr. Bash managed the Office of the Secretary of Defense, an entity with 2,500 employees and
a budget of $4 billion.
From 2004-2008, Mr. Bash served in a variety of roles on Capitol Hill, including Chief Counsel to the House
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and as a senior national security advisor to Congresswoman Jane
Harman. In 2008, he was a member of the Obama-Biden transition team.
11. Mr. Bash practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where his practice focused on litigation, high-profile
investigations, and strategic counseling to CEOs of several publicly traded companies.
In 2000, Mr. Bash was the Defense and Foreign Policy Director of the Presidential Campaign of Vice President
Al Gore. He was a member of Gore’s legal team during the 36-day recount in Florida.
In 2000, he served as an Associate with Fontheim International, one of the preeminent consulting firms advising
major corporations on trade policy, business social responsibility, and political risk.
He is a recipient of the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, the CIA Director’s
Award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, and the Donovan Award from the National Clandestine Service.
In 2010, Time Magazine named Mr. Bash one of the nation’s Top 40 Civic Leaders Under 40.
Mr. Bash graduated from Georgetown University, magna cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He
earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he graduated cum laude and was an editor of
the Harvard Law Review.
Mr. Bash is a Global Fellow with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a Senior Advisor
at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Mr. Bash is a frequent commentator on national security
matters on NBC, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/jeremy-b-bash/
12. Philippe Reines is a Founder and Managing Director of Beacon Global Strategies
LLC.
From 2009-2013, Mr. Reines served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Strategic Communications
and Senior Communications Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who he has worked for
since 2002. In that role, Mr. Reines traveled to more than 110 countries with Secretary Clinton as part of her
senior team, responsible for crafting and executing the strategic media goals of the Secretary of State.
Prior to joining the State Department with the Secretary, he served from 2002-2009 as Senator Clinton’s Senior
Advisor & Press Secretary. In 2007-2008, Mr. Reines simultaneously served on Hillary Clinton’s presidential
campaign as Communications Advisor for National Security & Foreign Policy, and served as Chelsea Clinton’s
spokesman, traveling with her throughout the primaries, often with the candidate and Former President Bill
Clinton.
In the Senate, he was the primary point of contact between Clinton’s office and the national press corps, and
served as her spokesman and primary communications advisor on national security and foreign policy issues,
largely focusing on Clinton’s work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Previously, Mr. Reines served in the House of Representatives as Communications Director for Representative
Jane Harman, where he successfully helped the Congresswoman raise her profile as a senior member of the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Terrorism &
Homeland Security.
Prior to his work on Capitol Hill, Mr. Reines was a member of the 2000 Gore/Lieberman presidential
campaign’s rapid response team. After Election Day, he served on the communications team of the
Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee during the post-election litigation in Florida.
Mr. Reines remained involved in former Vice President Gore’s public activities after Gore left office in 2001,
serving as his Teaching & Research Assistant for his “Covering National Affairs” course at the Columbia
School of Journalism in the Spring of 2001. In 2004, Mr. Reines taught a course at New York University’s
Marketing and Management Institute entitled, “Public Relations Strategies for Politicians.”
Mr. Reines is a recipient of the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor Award.
Prior to pursuing his long-standing passion for politics and public service, Mr. Reines worked in banking and
finance for several New York City banks.
13. A New York City native, Mr. Reines earned his political science degree from Columbia University, spending
two semesters in Beijing studying Mandarin Chinese.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/philippe-i-reines/
The Honorable Andrew Shapiro is a Founder and Managing Director of Beacon
Global Strategies LLC.
From 2009-2013, Mr. Shapiro served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs where he
revitalized and deepened political-military partnerships at home and abroad, and promoted record setting
foreign military sales creating thousands of jobs in the United States while contributing to the security of key
U.S. partners. As the longest serving Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Political-Military
Affairs, Mr. Shapiro managed our security relationships with partners in the Middle East, identifying
opportunities for improved relations with some partners while reducing risks when they arose. He deepened
U.S. political-military talks with India and Brazil and made key contributions to the U.S. pivot to Asia by
leading an increase in military sales and transfers to U.S. partners including Taiwan, Japan, and Indonesia.
While leading the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Mr. Shapiro undertook the first major reform of export
control efforts in twenty years. During his tenure, he announced the largest U.S. government foreign military
sales (FMS) package in history and presided over the processing of a record number of United States Munitions
14. List export licenses. He also managed more than $6 billion in security assistance funds and drove the
development of the innovative Global Security Contingency Fund.
Before being confirmed as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Shapiro served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton. Prior to joining the State Department with the Secretary, he served from 2001-2009 as
Senator Clinton’s Senior Defense and Foreign Policy Advisor.
He also served as a member of the Obama-Biden Department of Defense Agency Review Transition Team
before shifting to Secretary of State Clinton’s confirmation and transition team once she was officially named.
During the 2000 Presidential Election Campaign, Mr. Shapiro served on the Gore-Lieberman campaign as the
Briefing Book Director for Vice Presidential Candidate Joseph I. Lieberman. After Election Day, he served as
an attorney with the Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee during the post-election litigation in Florida.
Previously, Mr. Shapiro was counsel to the Justice Department’s International Competition Policy Advisory
Committee, and was an associate at the Washington, DC law firm Covington & Burling.
He received a B.A. cum laude with honors distinction in Diplomatic History from the University of
Pennsylvania and a joint law/master’s in international affairs degree from Columbia University where he was a
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
Mr. Shapiro is the recipient of the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor Award, Gold Star Wives of
America Appreciation Award, and the National Guard Association’s Patrick Henry Award. He is a member of
the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/andrew-j-shapiro/
15. Michael Allen joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Managing Director in
August 2013.
From 2011-2013, Mr. Allen served as the Majority Staff Director of the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence (HPSCI). Under Chairman Mike Rogers’ (R-MI) direction, the HPSCI restored the process of an
annual intelligence authorization bill to fund and give direction to the seventeen elements of the intelligence
community, enacting measures for fiscal years 2011, 2012, and 2013. The HPSCI also led the House of
Representatives’ consideration of cyber security legislation, passing the Cyber Information Sharing Protection
Act (CISPA) with bipartisan majorities in 2012 and 2013.
Prior to joining the HPSCI, he was director for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s successor to the 9/11
Commission, the National Security Preparedness Group, co-chaired by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and
former Governor Tom Kean.
Previously, Mr. Allen served in the White House for seven years in a variety of national security policy and
legislative roles. At the National Security Council (NSC), he served as Special Assistant to the President and
Senior Director for Counter-proliferation Strategy from June 2007 to January 2009 under National Security
Advisor Steve Hadley. As Senior Director, he contributed to the development of the U.S. government’s policy
on counter-proliferation issues, including on the Iranian, Syrian, and North Korean nuclear files; missile
defense; civilian nuclear cooperation including the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement; U.S.
exports controls; bio-defense; and WMD and terrorism.
16. As the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Legislative Affairs from March 2005 to June
2007, Mr. Allen was the NSC’s chief liaison with the national security committees of Congress and led the
confirmation teams of DNI nominees Negroponte and McConnell and CIA Director General Michael Hayden.
From December 2001 to February 2005, Mr. Allen worked in the legislative affairs office of the White House’s
Homeland Security Council. As Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, Mr. Allen was part of
team that managed the White House effort to enact the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of
2004, which created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
At the beginning of the Bush Administration, Mr. Allen worked in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the
Department of State. Mr. Allen received his L.L.M. with distinction in International Law from the Georgetown
University Law Center, his J.D. from the University of Alabama (cum laude), and his B.A. from Vanderbilt
University.
In addition to his work at the Bipartisan Policy Center, in 2009, Mr. Allen taught National Security
Policymaking at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and served as an
advisor for the congressionally-created Commission on WMD and Terrorism co-chaired by Senators Bob
Graham and Jim Talent. Mr. Allen was the Intelligence Team Lead for the Romney for President Transition
Team.
Mr. Allen is the author of Blinking Red: Crisis and Compromise in American Intelligence After 9/11. (Potomac
Books, September 2013).
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/michael-allen/
17. Leon Panetta joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Senior Counselor in May
2014.
Leon Panetta served as the 23rd United States Secretary of Defense from 2011 to 2013. He oversaw the final
removal of American troops from Iraq as well as the beginning of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. He led
the effort to develop a new defense strategy to advance greater agility, protect national security and meet fiscal
discipline, opened up new opportunities for everyone to serve in the military and protected benefits for
wounded warriors and their families.
Before joining the Department of Defense, Secretary Panetta served as the Director of the Central Intelligence
Agency from 2009 to 2011. Secretary Panetta led the agency and managed human intelligence and open source
collection programs on behalf of the intelligence community, and placed an emphasis on more racial diversity
and increased language training for officers in the Agency. Most notably, he was responsible for overseeing the
operation that resulted in bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.
Secretary Panetta has dedicated much of his life to public service. Before joining CIA, he spent 10 years co-
directing with his wife, Sylvia, the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy, based at California State
University, Monterey Bay. The Institute is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit center that seeks to instill in young men
and women the virtues and values of public service. In March 2006, he was chosen as a member of the Iraq
Study Group, a bipartisan committee established at the urging of Congress to conduct an independent
assessment of the war in Iraq.
From July 1994 to January 1997, Secretary Panetta served as Chief of Staff to President William Jefferson
Clinton. Prior to that, he was Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a position that built on his
years of work on the House Budget Committee. Secretary Panetta represented California’s 16th (now 17th)
Congressional District from 1977 to 1993, rising to House Budget Committee Chairman during his final four
years in Congress.
Early in his career, Secretary Panetta served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Thomas H. Kuchel of
California; Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare; Director of the U.S. Office for
Civil Rights; and Executive Assistant to Mayor John Lindsay of New York. He also spent five years in private
law practice.
18. He served as an Army Intelligence Officer from 1964 to 1966 and received the Army Commendation Medal.
Secretary Panetta holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a law degree, both from Santa Clara
University. He was born on June 28, 1938 in Monterey, where his Italian immigrant parents operated a
restaurant. Later, they purchased a farm in Carmel Valley, a place Secretary and Mrs. Panetta continue to call
home. The Panettas have three grown sons and six grandchildren.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/leon-e-panetta/
Michael Morell joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Senior Counselor in
November 2013.
Mr. Morell is one of the country’s most renowned national security professionals, most recently serving as
Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and twice as its Acting Director.
In his over thirty years at the Agency, he played a central role in the United States’ fight against terrorism, its
initiatives to halt the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and its efforts to respond to trends that are
altering the international landscape—including the Arab Spring, the rise of China, and the cyber threat.
As Deputy Director from May 2010 until August 2013, he oversaw the Agency’s analytic and collection
operations, represented the Agency at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and maintained the CIA’s
19. relationships with intelligence services and foreign leaders. He was one of the leaders in the search for Osama
bin Laden and participated in the deliberations that led to the raid that killed bin Laden in May 2011.
Mr. Morell served as Acting Director longer than anyone in the history of the CIA, most recently for four
months before the appointment of current CIA Director John Brennan in March 2013. He served as a member
of the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee.
Mr. Morell started his career at the CIA in 1980. He worked on East Asia for 14 years, holding a number of jobs
in analysis and management. In 1999, Mr. Morell became the Director of the Office of Asian Pacific and Latin
American Analysis. He also served as President George W. Bush’s intelligence briefer and as the Executive
Assistant to CIA Director George J. Tenet.
In July 2006, Mr. Morell was named the Executive Director of the CIA, overseeing the administration of the
Agency. In this role, he worked to strengthen the CIA’s leadership development program and established a cost-
savings program for the Agency’s numerous support elements. In 2008, Mr. Morell became the Director for
Intelligence at the Agency, leading the CIA’s large analytic effort. In this assignment, he strengthened the
quality of CIA analysis and enhanced professional development opportunities for analysts. He served in this
role until he was appointed Deputy Director in May 2010.
Mr. Morell received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Akron and a M.A. in Economics from
Georgetown University. He serves today as a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of
Government.
Throughout his career, Mr. Morell has received a number of awards. These include the Presidential Rank
Award, the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Department of Defense Service Medal, the
National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the National Intelligence Reform Medal, the Intelligence
Community Seal Medallion, and four CIA Director’s Awards.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/michael-j-morell/
20. Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.) serves as a Member of the Beacon Global
Strategies Advisory Board.
Admiral Stavridis is one of the most broadly accomplished Naval Officers in recent U.S. history. In his over
thirty years of service, he rose to the rank of four-star Admiral and held some of the most prestigious commands
around the world.
He most recently served for four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and the Commander of
United States European Command from 2009-2013. Admiral Stavridis is currently serving as the 12th Dean of
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the nation’s oldest graduate-only school of international affairs at
Tufts University.
As the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, from 2009 to 2013, Admiral Stavridis oversaw coalition military
operations in Afghanistan, Libya, the Balkans, Iraq, as well as counter-piracy missions off the coast of Africa
and significant cyber activity. In addition to these responsibilities, he served as Commander of the United States
European Command, overseeing 100,000 Department of Defense employees in 51 countries, including Israel
and Russia.
Prior to his role as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, Admiral Stavridis was Commander of the United
States Southern Command from 2006 to 2009, making him the longest serving Combatant Commander in
recent U.S. history. He was responsible for thousands of troops stationed across Latin American and the
Caribbean and helped reshape the organization into an interagency, private-public model of “smart power”.
21. In the course of his Naval career, Admiral Stavridis served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of
the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He was a strategic and long-range planner in the offices of the Chief of
Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He also led the Navy’s premier operational
think tank for innovation, “Deep Blue”, immediately following the attacks of 9/11.
Admiral Stavridis is a recipient of the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet, as well
as the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for inspirational leadership. He has earned more than 50 U.S. and
international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations.
Admiral Stavridis is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earning a B.S. in Literature in 1976.
He earned a PhD and MALD in International Relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University in 1984.
While at Tufts, he was awarded the Gullion Prize as the top student in his class. His current focus is on
geopolitics, cyber, innovation, the arctic, and leadership. His TED Talk on smart power has received over
600,000 views.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/admiral-james-stavridis/
Kristen Silverberg serves as a Member of the Beacon Global Strategies Advisory
Board.
22. Ambassador Kristen Silverberg is General Counsel and Senior Advisor at The Institute of International Finance
(IIF). She previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 2008 to 2009 and as Assistant
Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 2005 to 2008.
Prior to her time at the State Department, she held a number of senior positions at the White House, including
Deputy Assistant to the President and Advisor to the Chief of Staff.
She served in 2003 in Baghdad, Iraq for which she received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding
Public Service.
Ambassador Silverberg formerly practiced law at Williams and Connolly, LLP in Washington, DC and served
as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge David Sentelle of the U.S. Court of
Appeals.
She attended Harvard College and the University of Texas School of Law, where she graduated with High
Honors.
Ambassador Silverberg serves on the Board of Directors of Vorbeck Materials and has been recognized by the
World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/kristen-silverberg/
23. Brian Hook serves as a Member of the Beacon Global Strategies Advisory Board.
Brian Hook is the founder of Latitude, LLC, an international strategic consulting firm based in Washington,
DC.
Mr. Hook served on the Romney campaign staff as Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy. He also chaired the
foreign policy and national security task forces of the Romney Readiness Project. From 2010-2011, he was the
foreign policy director of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s presidential campaign.
Mr. Hook held a number of senior positions in the Bush Administration, including Assistant Secretary of State
for International Organizations; Senior Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Special Assistant
to the President for Policy in the White House Chief of Staff’s office; and Counsel, Office of Legal Policy, at
the Justice Department.
He practiced corporate law at Hogan & Hartson in Washington from 1999-2003. Before practicing law, he
served as an advisor to Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and to U.S. Congressman Jim Leach.
Mr. Hook holds a law degree from the University of Iowa; a master’s degree in Philosophy from Boston
College; and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. He is a
recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Iowa.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/brian-hook/
24. Julianne (“Julie”) Smith joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Senior Vice
President in November 2013.
Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Smith served as the Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the
United States from April 2012 to June 2013. In addition to advising the Vice President on a wide range of
foreign and defense policy issues, she represented him in Cabinet and Deputies level interagency meetings.
During March and April of 2013, she served as the Acting National Security Advisor to the Vice President.
Prior to her posting at the White House, she served as the Principal Director for European and NATO Policy in
the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. In that capacity, Ms. Smith acted as the principal staff
assistant and advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs for all matters
falling within the broad spectrum of NATO and European policy. Her office also managed the Department’s
bilateral relationships with 31 European countries. In January 2012, she was awarded the Office of the Secretary
of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.
Prior to joining the Obama administration, Ms. Smith served as the director of the CSIS Europe Program and
the Initiative for a Renewed Transatlantic Partnership, where she led the Center’s research and program
activities on U.S.-European political, security, and economic relations. She authored or contributed to a number
of CSIS books and reports, including Alliance Reborn: An Atlantic Compact for the 21st
Century (2009),Understanding Islamic Charities (2007), Climatic Cataclysm: The Foreign Policy and National
Security Implications of Climate Change (2008), Transforming NATO (…again)(2006), Five Years After
9/11 (2006), and America and the World in the Age of Terror(2005). She co-directed the Transatlantic Dialogue
on Terrorism, which examined U.S.-European disagreements over the root causes of terrorism.
Earlier, Ms. Smith served as deputy director and senior fellow in the CSIS International Security Program,
where she oversaw the management of more than 30 security-related projects and focused on a range of
European security issues, including European defense integration, transatlantic cooperation on climate change,
and EU-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation. Prior to joining CSIS, she worked at the German Marshall Fund as
program officer for the Foreign Policy Program and director of communications for the Project on the Role of
American Military Power. She has worked as a senior analyst on the European security desk of the British
American Security Information Council and in Germany at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik as a Robert
25. Bosch Foundation Fellow in 1996/97. Ms. Smith is a recipient of the American Academy in Berlin Public
Policy Fellowship and the Fredin Memorial Scholarship for study at the Sorbonne in Paris. She received her
B.A. from Xavier University and her M.A. from American University. She spent a year learning German at the
University of Munich.
Ms. Smith serves on the Board of Advisors of the Truman National Security Project and the National Security
Network. She is currently an Associate Fellow with Chatham House, home of the Royal Institute for
International Affairs, in London, and a Senior Associate with the International Security Program at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies. In January 2014, Ms. Smith joined the Center for New American
Security (CNAS) as a Senior Fellow and Director of the Strategy and Statecraft Program.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/julianne-smith/
Josh Kirshner joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Vice President in
November 2013.
Throughout his career, Mr. Kirshner has worked on a wide variety of international security issues, including
arms sales, intelligence, counterterrorism and WMD proliferation.
26. From 2009-2013, he was the Special Assistant for Political-Military Affairs to the Under Secretary of State for
Arms Control and International Security. He was the Under Secretary’s principal advisor on arms sales,
including unmanned systems. He also served as the Under Secretary’s Special Assistant for International
Security and Nonproliferation, and was a key contributor to both the President’s Nuclear Security Summit and
the creation of the Secretary of State’s Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues.
As a Professional Staff Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2007-2009,
Mr. Kirshner focused on HUMINT, terrorism and the Near East/South Asia. In this capacity he traveled
extensively to the Middle East and Europe, and authored a report on the threat of and efforts to prevent a WMD
attack on the homeland. In addition, he was responsible for oversight of the intelligence activities of the
Departments of State, Treasury, and Energy, including the National Labs.
In 2006, Mr. Kirshner was a part of then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s national security team, supporting
the Senator’s efforts on the Senate Armed Services Committee and working on issues ranging from foreign
policy, to trade, to appropriations.
He also served at the State Department from 2000-2005, holding positions in the Nonproliferation and
Counterterrorism bureaus. In the former, he was part of the teams responsible for the successful elimination of
Libya’s nuclear weapons program and shutting down nuclear procurement networks worldwide. In the days
after 9/11, he worked to prevent terrorist attacks in sub-Saharan Africa, and later, the Middle East.
Mr. Kirshner graduated from Yale University with an M.A. in International Affairs, including coursework in the
law and business schools. He graduated from Binghamton University, cum laude, with a B.A. in Political
Science.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/josh-kirshner/
27. Kristin White joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Vice President in June
2014.
In over ten years of consulting to the defense/aerospace industry, Ms. White has managed engagements
supporting clients on a range of business issues, from strategic planning and acquisition due diligence to tactical
capture support. Ms. White has completed over one hundred engagements for a diverse group of clients
operating in government-regulated markets.
Ms. White specializes in supporting senior executives, business development organizations, and capture teams
across the aerospace and defense market. For these types of clients, she has focused on developing strategies for
capturing business, identifying and validating adjacent markets, internationally and domestically, and forming
go-to-market strategies.
Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. White worked for Avascent, formerly DFI Corporate Services. There she worked
closely with land systems providers and contingency services contractors through a period of dramatically
increased wartime demand for their products and services followed by a period of declining spending and
market consolidation. During this time she supported clients with both organic and inorganic growth strategies.
From 2002-2004, Ms. White worked for Women In International Security (WIIS), a membership organization
dedicated to increasing the number and visibility of women in the field of international security.
28. Ms. White graduated magna cum laude with an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University. She
holds a B.S. in Foreign Service also from Georgetown University.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/kristin-white-2/
Ashley Woolheater joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as a Senior Associate in
May 2013.
Before joining Beacon, Ms. Woolheater served at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Strategic
Communications, the team responsible for crafting and executing the strategic media goals of Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and other senior State Department officials, working with the Secretary’s Senior Team.
In that role, Ms. Woolheater supported media strategy for domestic and international events, traveling press
engagement, Secretary of State-related interviews, public remarks, and press releases, as well as research related
to the Secretary’s tenure. Ms. Woolheater worked closely with journalists and print publications including The
New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, USA Today, and Bloomberg Businessweek.
Ms. Woolheater also served in the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, executing on key
policy and messaging priorities, including the International Women of Courage Awards, hosted annually by the
Secretary of State and the First Lady; and in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public
Affairs.
29. Ms. Woolheater was a Senior Editor on her graduate school journal, the International Affairs Review, and
studied Mandarin Chinese in Beijing in 2008 through a grant from the Institute of International Education.
Ms. Woolheater graduated from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington
University, with a dual M.A. in International Affairs and Communication. She graduated from Emory
University, magna cum laude, with a B.A. in International Affairs.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/ashely-l-woolheater/
Sarah Davey joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as an Associate in June 2013.
Before joining Beacon, Ms. Davey served in the First Lady’s Communications Office at the White House.
There, she worked on key policy and messaging priorities, including the First Lady’s Let’s Move! and Joining
Forces initiatives.
In her role at the press office, she vetted individuals, organizations, and locations to determine the First Lady’s
participation in events and meetings, as well as coordinated media logistics and credentialing. She also
supported communications briefings and press releases.
Previously, Ms. Davey interned for the Department of Homeland Security Office of Public Affairs, No Labels,
and for the Office of the Honorable Congressman Patrick Murphy. She was Deputy Director of the American
30. University Student Advocacy Center, during which her team successfully revised the university’s policies on
reporting sexual assault.
Ms. Davey graduated from the American University, with a double major in Public Communication and
Interdisciplinary Studies C.L.E.G.: Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/sarah-e-davey/
Meredith Steen joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as an Associate in November
2013.
Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Steen worked as a Legislative Analyst at Williams & Jensen, PLLC. There, she
supported client initiatives relating to cyber security, international trade, and tax reform.
As a Legislative Analyst, Ms. Steen strategized on relevant legislation with the firm’s principals. She attended
meetings on Capitol Hill and prepared hearing reports, briefing points, and summaries for clients and staff. She
also worked directly with the American-Lithuanian, American-Romanian, U.S.-Turkmenistan, and U.S.-Poland
Business Councils to support their business, membership and legislative priorities.
31. Previously, Ms. Steen interned for Terry McAuliffe’s campaign for Governor of Virginia, Washington Council
Ernst & Young, and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. In addition, she worked as a
Legislative Intern in the Office of Congressman James Moran.
Ms. Steen graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in Foreign Affairs and History. She
focused in Eastern European and Eurasian Studies.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/meredith-steen/
Khizer Syed joined Beacon Global Strategies LLC as an Associate in September
2014.
Prior to joining Beacon, Mr. Syed served as a research assistant with the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence (HPSCI), which is responsible for overseeing and advising the Intelligence Community on issues
such as counterterrorism, covert action, and cyber security.
In that role, Mr. Syed supported the HPSCI’s oversight processes and legislative agenda. He helped to manage
the creation of the classified annex, the HPSCI’s classified authorization language, funding, and overall
direction for the Intelligence Community. He also supported the Committee’s consideration and passage of key
cyber security legislation, including the Cyber Information Sharing Protection Act (CISPA). Mr. Syed
32. represented the HPSCI on Congressional delegations to twelve different countries where he met with senior
foreign officials and business leaders.
In addition to his work on the HPSCI, Mr. Syed participated in the Truman National Security Project, a
leadership development program for Capitol Hill staffers. He was the research assistant for the book Blinking
Red: Crisis and Compromise in American Intelligence after 9/11 (Potomac Books, September 2013).
Mr. Syed graduated from Boston University, cum laude, with a B.A. in International Relations. He is a recipient
of Boston University’s Thomas M. Menino Scholarship.
http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/team/khizer-syed/
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33.
34. Expanding Market Share at Home and Abroad
Drawing on our decades of service in the international security arena, we develop
strategies and provide services that enable companies to achieve their business
objectives, both in the United States and around the world.
BGS Founders and Managing Directors have deep experience informed by their years of service in the White
House, State Department, Defense Department, CIA, Justice Department, on Capitol Hill, and in the private
sector.
BGS in the News
BGS in the News
INTERVIEWS | SEP 02, 2013
Defense News Publishes Profile Of Beacon Global
Strategies LLC
Defense News publishes a profile of Beacon Global Strategies LLC (BGS), noting years of government service
among BGS Managing Directors Michael Allen, Jeremy Bash, Philippe Reines, and Andrew Shapiro.
35. READ ARTICLE
ARTICLES | APR 21, 2015
BGS Managing Director Michael Allen Discusses The
DNI’s Past And Future Role In The Intelligence
Community
Allen writes that “the gains made, and lessons learned, by the DNI over the past decade provide a solid
foundation for continued progress toward the intelligence enterprise our country needs and deserves.”
READ ARTICLE
ARTICLES | APR 02, 2015
Senior Vice President Julianne Smith Discusses Why
Russia's Anti-Access And Area Denial (A2AD)
Capabilities Are Just As Worrisome As China’s
In her co-authored piece featured in Defense One, Smith proposes that “Washington and its allies should start
with a complete review of U.S. force posture in Europe…, the transatlantic allies should begin exercises that
focus specifically on the A2/AD challenge…, and Washington should lock in the rotational forces that are
currently in the region, ensure continued funding to support U.S.training and exercises in Europe and avoid any
near-term withdrawals of U.S. forces from the European continent.”
READ ARTICLE
ANNOUNCEMENTS | MAR 16, 2015
Derek Chollet Joins Beacon Global Strategies
Derek Chollet Joins BGS as a Member of the Advisory Board and an Advisor to the Firm. Mark Simakovsky &
Bryan Smith Join as Vice President & Technical Advisor, Respectively.
READ ANNOUNCEMENT
PUBLICATIONS | MAR 02, 2015
36. BGS Managing Director Andrew Shapiro InDefense
News Provides Insight For Companies Aiming To
Increase International Sales
BGS Managing Director Andrew Shapiro wrote in his Defense News Op-Ed that for US defense firms to find
success in the international market, they will need to master the intersection of overseas demand and US foreign
policy. He further explains how these companies should focus on establishing in-country presence and building
long-term relationships with foreign militaries and US government officials.
As Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Shapiro managed foreign military sales for the
Department of State through working closely with both US defense firms and foreign governments.
READ ARTICLE
ARTICLES | FEB 23, 2015
BGS Managing Director Michael Allen Discusses The
CIA’s Reorganization And Increased Emphasis On
Cyber
READ ARTICLE
ARTICLES | FEB 10, 2015
BGS Managing Director Michael Allen Discusses
President Obama’s Plan To Create A National
Cyberintelligence Center
READ ARTICLE
ARTICLES | FEB 06, 2015
37. BGS Senior Vice President Julianne Smith Publishes an
Article on President Obama’s Second National Security
Strategy
Julianne Smith, former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States, publishes
an article in The National Interest on the President’s second and final National Security Strategy and its focus
on specific threats and opportunities ranging from ISIS to cyber security.
READ ARTICLE
ANNOUNCEMENTS | FEB 06, 2015
Frances Townsend Joins the BGS Board of Advisors
Frances Fragos Townsend is an Executive Vice President at MacAndrews and Forbes Incorporated. Prior to
Joining MacAndrews and Forbes in 2010, Ms. Townsend was a Corporate Partner with the law firm Baker
Botts, LLP. Ms. Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and
Counterterrorism and chaired the Homeland Security Council from May 2004 until January 2008. She
previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating
Terrorism from May 2003 to May 2004. Most recently, Ms. Townsend provided consulting services and advice
to corporate entities on Global Strategic Engagement and Risk as well as Crisis and Contingency planning.
READ ANNOUNCEMENT
ARTICLES | FEB 03, 2015
BGS Senior Vice President Julianne Smith Discusses
The Ukraine Crisis With The Christian Science Monitor
“We don’t want a new cold war,” says Smith, “We’ve got to walk [Putin] back to the negotiating table.”
READ ARTICLE
INTERVIEWS | JAN 23, 2015
BGS Senior Counselor Leon Panetta Appears On PBS
NewsHour To Discuss The Saudi Succession And Its
Impact On The Region
VIEW VIDEO http://beaconglobalstrategies.com/news/
