Editorial Team

Joshua Stinson is Editor in Chief of The Ledger: A Journal of Economic Statecraft and a senior strategist, leader, and policy maker with over two decades of experience spanning national security, economic policy, and interagency coordination. He has served in leadership roles across the executive and legislative branches, including as Staff Director at the National Security Council and National Economic Council and as a Legislative Liaison to Congress, where he helped shape major appropriations and policy initiatives in economic competitiveness and statecraft.

Chris O'Keefe is the Managing Editor at The Ledger, supporting editorial direction as well as digital infrastructure and innovation. He is a seasoned publishing and national security executive, designing and operating influential software and publishing platforms in maritime affairs, drone technology, and strategic analysis. He also developed the world's first human-machine analysis platform for strategic command and control. A former U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer and advisor to senior defense leadership, Chris has held multiple positions in the C-suite, academia, and government and has launched over a dozen startups.

Dr. Clark N. Banach is an economist and strategy practitioner specializing in trade, economic security, international relations, institutional design and hybrid threats, with a particular emphasis on Chinese economic statecraft and infrastructure investment. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (Dr. rer. pol.) from Freie Universität Berlin and specialized in international monetary economics and applied research methods as a visiting scholar of UNC Chapel Hill. He also earned graduate degrees in international economics, international marketing, and international business. He is a Professor of Management at Canisius University and Program Director at Aletheia Research Institution and continues to serve in advisory and fellowship roles addressing global economic statecraft, the political economy of North America, and the evolving landscape of soft power. His research has been featured in congressional testimony and several government reports on maritime security and foreign direct investment.

Dr. David Benson is the Director of Training, Tradecraft, and Innovation at Valens Global. Prior to joining the Valens team, he spent six years as a Professor of Security and Strategic Studies at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS) at Air University, Montgomery, AL. He focuses on international relations and information, especially how the internet and information technology affect great power politics. His publications include "Why the Internet is not Increasing Terrorism," "Cyber-balancing not Cyber-War," and "Mahan and Corbett will not Inform War with China." David graduated from the University of Chicago and is a U.S. Army veteran.

Erik Bethel is a global finance professional with extensive experience across the private and public sectors. He is currently the Managing Partner at Mare Liberum Capital Partners, a fund focused on maritime technologies. In 2020, Mr. Bethel was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bethel built a distinguished track record in private equity and investment banking with a focus on emerging markets and natural resources.

B.S. in Economics and Political Science, United States Naval Academy; MBA, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Dave Blair is the Deputy Commander of an Air Force Wing in the Pacific. He holds a Doctorate from Georgetown University, where he wrote on the intersection between economics and security, focusing on transnational organized crime as well as organizational optimization and disruption. He later taught as an Adjunct Professor on the politics of military innovation. He also served as the Director of the Air Force's Strategic Studies Group, where he shaped the service's approach to democratizing airpower through automation.

Dr. Jennifer Buss is the CEO and Chairman of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit, science and technology (S&T) policy research institute. The Institute identifies and leads discussions on key S&T and national security issues facing society, providing an academic forum for the study of related policy issues. Dr. Buss has 20 years of experience leading interdisciplinary teams focusing on the nation's most difficult issues. Her work at the Institute bridges the divide between the needs of commercial industry rooted in capitalism and the federal governments' needs for national and economic security. She firmly believes the power of bringing people together at the intersection of business and government will result in a stronger America. Buss is an authority in her scientific field with national recognition in her area of expertise. She is responsible for major projects that require integration and coordination across multiple scientific disciplines.

Jake Chapman is the Managing Director of Marque Ventures, which is an early stage VC firm exclusively supporting companies working to enhance U.S. national security and the values of the western world. In addition to his work at Marque Jake is an adjunct at RAND where he supports work at the nexus of technology, policy, and national security. When not saving the world Jake enjoys board games, fine wine, writing spicy takes on LinkedIn, NOT using his law degree, and spending time with family.

The former Assistant Secretary of Treasury's Office of Intelligence and Analysis, the Honorable Shannon R. Corless advised the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of National Intelligence on matters relating to economic security and financial intelligence, as well as cybersecurity of critical financial infrastructure. In over two decades of service at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Naval Intelligence, Ms. Corless served in a variety of senior executive and analytic roles, all at the intersection of national security and economics. She is known as a visionary intelligence professional who built diverse stakeholder partnerships to drive and resource transformative change for the IC's economics security and financial intelligence responsibilities. Ms. Corless is also a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award recipient.

Dr. Jacqueline (Jackie) Deal is President & CEO of the Long Term Strategy Group (LTSG), a defense research firm; co-founder of the American Academy for Strategic Education (AASE), which teaches courses on net assessment, China, and political warfare; and an adviser to State Armor, which helps protect U.S. states from hostile foreign adversaries. She has testified on numerous occasions at Congressional and state-level hearings on military, political, and economic dimensions of the CCP threat, and she has written frequently on these topics for a range of popular and academic publications.

Dr. David Rushing Dewhurst is DARPA's economic warfare program manager. Before joining DARPA as a government civilian, he was an advisor to the agency, a fellow at Yale University, a senior scientist at a defense R&D firm, a lead data scientist on a global life insurance firm's capital risk team, and a computer scientist at an FFRDC. He earned his BA, MS, and PhD from the University of Vermont.

Dr. Daniel Egel is an economist at RAND, director of RAND's Economic Strategy and Operations Unit, and a professor of policy analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. His research focuses on the intersection of economics and national security, particularly as it applies to U.S. overseas activities. Egel served as an embedded analyst with the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan and NATO Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan, as the lead researcher for an international team assessing job creation opportunities for Syrian refugees, and as an embedded monitoring and evaluation specialist within Yemen's Social Fund for Development. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Rozlyn (Roz) C. Engel serves as the Managing Director of the Treasury, Economics, and Enterprise Modernization Division at MITRE. In this role, she oversees a wide range of technical work across the financial and economic policy domains. Roz came to MITRE after a long career spent at the nexus of international economics, national security, and U.S. policy development, including positions at the Treasury Department, the intelligence community, and the Defense Department. She has published on issues relating to economic development, labor economics, and geoeconomic dynamics. She has also spent time at the Brookings Institution, the International Monetary Fund, and the US Senate. Roz holds a PhD in Economics from Columbia University, a MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Economics from Smith College.

Frank Finelli is a Senior Advisor to The Carlyle Group, having retired in March 2024 after over 25 years, culminating as a Partner focusing on investments in defense, aerospace, and intelligence. He has been repeatedly selected for Defense News 100 Most Influential and Executive Mosaic WASH100 distinctions. Previously, Mr. Finelli served as legislative assistant for then-Senator Dan Coats (R-IN), with the Armed Services and Select Intelligence Committees. Before retiring as an Army Lieutenant Colonel, he was a Special Assistant to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Associate Professor of Economics at West Point, where he taught econometrics and conducted defense procurement analyses. A Field Artillery Master Gunner, Mr. Finelli served in the 82d Airborne, 1st Armored, and 3d Infantry Divisions.

Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Military Academy; MS in Finance and Applied Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management; Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

The Hon. Dr. Christopher Ford is a professor with the Missouri State University's School of Defense and Strategic Studies and a Senior Associate with the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In prior government service, he was U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, for the last 15 months of that period also performing the duties of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. Dr. Ford is the author of the books China Looks at the West: Identity, Global Ambitions, and the Future of Sino-American Relations (2015) and The Mind of Empire: China's History and Modern Foreign Relations (2010).

Andrew J. Grotto is the founder and co-director of the Program on Geopolitics, Technology, and Governance at Stanford University, where he is also a William J. Perry International Security Fellow and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. Grotto previously served in senior roles in Democratic and Republican administrations, most recently as the Senior Director for Cyber Policy in the Obama and Trump I administrations.

Peter E. Harrell is a Visiting Scholar at Georgetown's Institute of International Economic Law. Harrell has had a diverse career across both the public and private sectors and currently serves as an attorney advising companies and investors on international legal, regulatory, and geopolitical risks, including economic sanctions and trade compliance matters. As a Visiting Scholar, Harrell's research agenda focuses on the future of U.S. trade law and policy and the global trading order.

From January 2021 through 2022, Harrell served at the White House as Senior Director for International Economics, jointly appointed to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. In that role, Harrell led White House initiatives to secure U.S. supply chains for critical products, worked on international digital and telecommunications policy and negotiations, served as the White House representative to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States; and led policy processes to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

From 2015 to early 2021, Harrell was an attorney in private practice and served as Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Harrell's articles and essays have appeared in publications including the Fordham International Law Journal, the Journal of International Economic Law, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Lawfare, among other outlets. Harrell has also testified in front of multiple congressional committees. He is also the host of a podcast, Security Economics. Harrell is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University and holds a JD from the Yale Law School.

Gene R. Keselman is a lecturer at MIT and holds multiple leadership roles, including Executive Director of MIT Mission Innovation Experimental and Managing Director of Proto Ventures. He is also a Colonel in the Air Force Reserves, where he serves as the senior Reservist and Director of Strategic Incubation for the Chief of Staff of the Air Force's Strategic Studies Group. Keselman has extensive experience in both military and civilian sectors, having co-founded several startups and held leadership positions in space, defense, and intelligence programs.

Dr. Jerry McGinn is the director of the Center for the Industrial Base and a senior fellow with the Defense and Security Department. He is one of the nation's leading experts on industrial base, acquisition, government contracting, and security policy issues. Prior to joining CSIS, Jerry served as executive director of the Greg and Camille Baroni Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University, publishing over 70 influential reports, white papers, and commentaries. Prior to GMU, Jerry served as the senior career official in the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy in the Department of Defense (DoD), leading efforts to analyze the capabilities of the defense industrial base. He also directed hundreds of reviews of high-profile mergers and acquisitions as well as transactions before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Before his service in DoD, Dr. McGinn spent a decade in senior defense industry roles at Northrop Grumman, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and QinetiQ North America. Prior to industry, Dr. McGinn served as special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary for policy in DoD and as a political scientist at RAND. Dr. McGinn is also a widely acclaimed thought leader and has testified numerous times before the U.S. Congress and the UK House of Commons. Dr. McGinn served with distinction as an infantry officer and is a graduate of Ranger and Airborne Schools. He earned a PhD, MS, and MA from Georgetown University as well as a BS from the United States Military Academy.

The Hon. Nazak Nikakhtar is an international trade and national security attorney, a partner at the Washington, DC, law firm of Wiley Rein LLP, Chair of Wiley's national security practice, and Co-Chair of the CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) practice as well as the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practice. She also leads the Strategic Competition/Supply Chain practice as well as the Foreign Transaction Risk and Litigation practice. Ms. Nikakhtar is additionally a trade and industry economist and a former Georgetown University adjunct law professor. Her practice involves international trade and transaction issues, domestic and international competition, customs compliance, World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement, export controls, sanctions, CFIUS, industrial policy/government grant qualification, and supply chain assessments. She is a prolific lecturer and a renown thought leader on economic competition, supply chain resilience, and national security risks. From 2018 to 2021, with unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, Ms. Nikakhtar served as the Department of Commerce's Assistant Secretary for Industry & Analysis at the International Trade Administration (ITA). Ms. Nikakhtar also served as the Under Secretary for Industry and Security at Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Ms. Nikakhtar earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Economics degrees from Syracuse University. She externed for the Honorable Ronald S.W. Lew at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Ms. Nikakhtar received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. William Norris is an Associate Professor of Chinese foreign and security policy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where he leads the Economic Statecraft Program. His research explores the intersection of economics and national security, focusing on Chinese foreign policy and East Asian international relations. He is the author of Chinese Economic Statecraft (Cornell University Press) and has been recognized as a fellow by the National Bureau of Asian Research and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Dr. Norris earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Drew N. Peterson is a researcher and consultant at the intersection of national security, strategy, diplomacy, and emerging technology, and teaches courses on foreign policy at the University of Pittsburgh. He previously served more than a decade at the State and Defense departments, as well as on the staffs of the National Security Council and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on numerous advisory committees, including for the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and the Critical Technology Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University.

Dr. Jason Michael Rathje serves as the President of Public Sector for webAI, a company that delivers artificial intelligence delivery networks at the edge for both commercial and government-focused enterprises. He is best known for co-founding and leading two transformative U.S. government investment organizations. As the inaugural Managing Director of AFVentures (AFWERX), the commercial investment arm of the U.S. Air Force, he managed a $1.2 billion portfolio and tripled the service's technology transition rate. Following this, he co-founded and was the inaugural Director of the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC), known as the "National Security Bank," where he scaled its portfolio to $5 billion in assets and helped unlock over $200 billion in credit availability for U.S. manufacturing.

Dr. Rathje's work is supported by a robust academic and military background. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering from MIT and a Ph.D. in Strategy and Policy from Stanford University, focusing on how government investment can grow new technology ventures. Concurrently, he serves as a Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and a strategist within the Air Force Chief of Staff's Strategic Studies Group. A recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, he is also a published author in esteemed journals, including the Strategic Management Journal and the Journal of Political Economy.

James Tennant is a Fellow with ASPI's Cyber, Technology and Security Program and a Partner at BOKA Holdings, a leading AUKUS Investment House in London, Sydney and New York. His key role at BOKA is complemented by his service as an Officer in the Australian Army, where he specializes in Capability Development. He is also a Senior Partner at Gilmour Space Technologies, an Australian-based rocket company innovating in the field of low-cost small satellite launch vehicles.

James is a seasoned investor and corporate leader with deep interests and investments in diverse fields such as Quantum, Artificial Intelligence, Space, CyberSec, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Drones, Enterprise Infrastructure, and Autonomous Vehicles. His professional journey, spanning across different continents and industries, uniquely positions him at the intersection of finance, defense, and technology including artificial intelligence.

James holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in International Business from the University of Sydney, is a Graduate of Applied Finance at Macquarie University, and holds management courses in Private Equity and Venture Capital from Harvard Business School. He has also completed the Company Directors Course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Matt Turpin is a Senior Councilor at Palantir Technologies and a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. During the first Trump Administration, Matt served as the Director for China at the U.S. National Security Council and the Senior Advisor on China to the Secretary of Commerce. At the White House, he was responsible for managing U.S. policy towards the People's Republic of China.

In 2017, he retired from the U.S. Army after serving 22 years with assignments at U.S. Pacific Command and as an advisor on China to the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Matt is a graduate of West Point and has a master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Tim Welter is a Senior Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies where he founded and leads the Global Competition Project. The Project is focused on elevating and addressing the most pressing challenges of societal level competition, especially as they relate to science and technology, including aspects of economic statecraft and national security. Tim's contributions to the Institute's work are informed by his experience in the private sector as a founder and business owner, military officer, Capitol Hill staffer, and in academia and the think tank policy community.

Alex Zerden is a regulatory lawyer, economic policymaker, and financial diplomat who currently leads Capitol Peak Strategies, a risk advisory firm helping organizations navigate complex regulatory, legal, and public policy issues. Alex previously worked at the White House National Economic Council, the House of Representatives, Senate, and U.S. Department of the Treasury. Alex is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.