CNAS Announces 2025 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows

Washington, January 16, 2025 — Today, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) announced the selection of the 2025 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship. Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, the NextGen Program is a fundamental component of CNAS’s commitment to ensuring the United States develops a diverse cadre of talented individuals dedicated to preserving and strengthening its national security. Previous fellows have gone on to careers as elected officials, CEOs, military commanders, high-level cabinet officials, and more. After a highly competitive process, CNAS selected a bipartisan group of 25 emerging leaders from multiple sectors. This year’s fellows include members of the military; government professionals, including from the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and Congress; individuals from the private and nonprofit sectors; and think tank experts.

“Each year, I am impressed by the exceptional quality, experiences, and contributions of the applicants. We're excited to have chosen such a remarkable array of talent with such varied life backgrounds in the 2025 cohort,” said Michèle Flournoy, CNAS cofounder and chair of the board and Next Generation National Security Leaders Fellowship.

Through this leadership development program and its monthly speaker series and small private discussions, the NextGen fellows will engage with those who have led before them, developing a deeper understanding of U.S. national security interests and policies, as well as leadership principles and best practices. Previous classes have met with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, former White House Chiefs of Staff Josh Bolten and Denis McDonough, Ambassador Nate Fick, General Stanley McChrystal, Admiral Cecil Haney, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Senator Tammy Duckworth, former Congressman Mike Gallagher, and many others. Fellows will also collaborate with CNAS experts and participate in events. Upon completion of the program, fellows remain connected to the Center through the CNAS NextGen alumni program.

The complete list of the 2025 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security fellows is below. Their full biographies are available here.

CNAS 2025 Shawn Brimley Next Generation National Security Fellows:

• Abigale Belcrest, Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Christopher Bennett, Senior Professional Staff Member, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
• Daniel Block, Senior Editor, Foreign Affairs
• Christian Chung, PhD Student and Technology and National Security Policy Fellow, Princeton University and RAND Corporation
• Clara Decerbo, Director, Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security
• Alicia Dorsett, Major, U.S. Army
• Jonathan Elliott, Director of AI Assessment & Assurance, U.S. Department of Defense
• Ayla Francis Foster, Senior Policy Advisor, Humanity United
• Aaron Glasserman, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Contemporary China
• Sarah Hess, Partner, Point72 Ventures
• Sahil Jain, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Jarrett Lane, Adjunct Professor and Research Staff Member, Duke University and Institute for Defense Analyses
• April Lenhard, Subject Matter Expert, Misinformation, Arillic
• William Patrick Luan, Assistant Director, Institute for Defense Analyses
• Eric McCrery, Delivery Lead, Anduril Industries
• Jarett Monterio, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Jesus Montes, Team Lead, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Jasmine Morgan, Major, U.S. Army Special Operations Command
• Christina Powell, Foreign Service Officer, U.S. Department of State
• Omer Rafiq, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Defense
• Christina Sandstedt, Legislative Fellow, Office of Senator Roger Wicker, U.S. Coast Guard
• Nathan Sawyer, Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy
• Lara Seligman, National Security Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
• Camilla Vogt, National Security Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper
• Eibhilin Whittemore, Senior Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development

For questions concerning the fellowship, please contact [email protected].