Our Staff
Michael Beck
Nonresident Fellow
Michael Beck is a Nonresident Fellow at Stimson with the Trade, Technology, and Security program. His areas of expertise are WMD nonproliferation, export controls, and sanctions. Beck is a founder and Vice President of TradeSecure, LLC.
Nakia Bell
Associate Director of Finance
Nakia Bell is the Associate Director of Finance at the Stimson Center. She is responsible for providing program budget support and analysis. Before joining Stimson, Nakia served as the Compliance Manager for Martha’s Table.
Oksana Bellas
Director of Finance and Administration
Oksana Bellas is the Director of Finance and Administration at the Stimson Center responsible for directing finance and accounting functions, human resources, and administrative services.
Barry Blechman
Co-Founder
Barry M. Blechman is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center -- a nonpartisan, nonprofit think-tank in Washington, D.C. He co-founded Stimson and was chairman of its Board from 1989 to 2007.
Lincoln P. Bloomfield, Jr.
Distinguished Fellow and Chairman Emeritus
Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield is a Distinguished Fellow and Chairman Emeritus at the Stimson Center. He has served as a national security official in the administrations of Presidents Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and G.W. Bush. Amb. Bloomfield was appointed by President Bush to be the U.S.
Alex Bollfrass
Nonresident Fellow
Alex Bollfrass is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs working on a dissertation on intelligence assessments of nuclear weapons programs.
Ahsan Butt
Nonresident Fellow
Ahsan Butt is an Assistant Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a nonresident fellow at the Stimson Center. His research focuses on nationalism, security, international order, and South Asia.
Heather Byrne
Research Assistant
Heather Byrne is a Research Assistant with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. She recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in New Delhi, where she conducted archival and interview research on India’s China policy.
Joanne Calapodas
Development Assistant
Joanne Calapodas is the Development Assistant at the Stimson Center. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Foreign Affairs and Spanish from the University of Virginia.
Robert Carlin
Nonresident Fellow
Robert Carlin has been following North Korea since 1974 from both in and out of government. In those forty plus years, he has taken part in countless hours of negotiations and unofficial discussions with DPRK officials.
James Casterton
Nonresident Fellow
Mr. Casterton has over 35 years experience in nuclear non-proliferation policy development and implementation at the national and international levels.
Richard Cronin
Distinguished Fellow
Richard P. Cronin is a Distinguished Fellow at Stimson. Until July 2016 Cronin directed Stimson's Southeast Asia Program and Mekong Policy Project. Cronin joined Stimson in 2005 after a long career as an Asia Specialist with the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
Kevin J. Cuddy
Fellow
Kevin Cuddy is the Trade, Technology, and Security Fellow at the Stimson Center focusing on industry’s role in technology transfers and global non-proliferation programs. During his Fellowship at Stimson, Cuddy will continue to work as a Senior Manager for International Trade Compliance with Gene
Richard Cupitt
Senior Fellow & Director
Richard T. Cupitt is Senior Associate and Director of the Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention program at Stimson. His areas of expertise include WMD nonproliferation, export controls, and foreign policy. Prior to joining Stimson, he served as the Special Coordinator for U.N.
F. David Diaz
Nonresident Fellow
F. David Diaz is a Nonresident Fellow at Stimson in the Conventional Defense Program.
Shannon Dick
Research Associate
Shannon Dick is research associate with the Conventional Defense Program at the Stimson Center. Her research focuses on issues pertaining to U.S. security assistance and the international arms trade, including policies guiding U.S.
William Durch
Distinguished Fellow
William J. Durch is a Distinguished Fellow with the Stimson Center. Prior to joining Stimson in 1990, Durch served as a Foreign Affairs Officer with the U.S.
Jim Finkel
Jim Finkel is the President of the Atrocities Prevention Study Group. Finkel ended his 35-year career as a member of the senior civil service in May 2013. During the final 20 years of his service, he held positions that provided him an insider’s eye view of the evolution of U.S.
Brian Finlay
President and CEO
Brian Finlay is the President and CEO at Stimson. His areas of expertise include nonproliferation, transnational crime, counter-trafficking, supply chain security and private sector engagement.
Christopher Frangione
Distinguished Fellow
Christopher Frangione is Distinguished Fellow with the Stimson Center. He is an innovation advisor who helps organizations leverage open innovation, exponential technologies, and the crowd.
Michael Franken
Distinguished Fellow
Vice Admiral Michael Franken, USN (ret), is a distinguished fellow with the Environmental Security Program at the Stimson Center. Raised in rural Iowa, Franken lived within view of the world’s oceans during much of his thirty-six-year military career.
Seema Gahlaut
Senior Fellow
Seema Gahlaut is a Senior Fellow with the Trade, Technology and Security Program at the Stimson Center.
Lindsay Getschel
Research Assistant
James Giles
Federal Executive Fellow
James Giles is a Federal Executive Fellow at Stimson, on assignment from the United States Navy. James is a Surface Warfare Officer who has deployed to the Arabian Gulf, the Horn of Africa, East and Southeast Asia.
Brian Goebel
Distinguished Fellow
Brian Goebel is a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center. He is also the President of Reason in Government as well as President of 2040 Matters, LLC. He is the Founder of Sentinel Holdings, LLC, and currently serves on its Board.
Caitlin Goodman
Communications Specialist
Caitlin Goodman is a Communications Specialist at the Stimson Center. Prior to joining Stimson, she was a Communications and Outreach Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Aditi Gorur
Director
Aditi Gorur is the Director of the Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program and a Senior Associate at Stimson. Her primary research focus is on preventing and responding to violence against civilians, particularly in the context of peacekeeping operations.
Hannah Haegeland
Research Analyst
Hannah E. Haegeland is a Research Analyst in Stimson's South Asia Program working on nuclear security, crisis escalation and management, and regional politics.
Humayun Hamidzada
Non-Resident Fellow
Humayun Hamidzada, is Director of the Afghanistan Peace Research Project at the York University Centre for Asian Research in Toronto, Canada and is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Stimson Center.
Eyal Hanfling
Research Assistant
Eyal Hanfling is a Research Assistant with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. His research interests include strategic culture, India-Pakistan confidence building measures, and domestic politics in South Asia. Hanfling holds a B.A.
Jan Hartke
Distinguished Fellow
Jan Hartke helped to internationalize the environmental agenda and is recognized as one of the founders of the sustainable development movement. He is President of the Earth Council, formed by UN Secretary-General Maurice Strong at the Earth Summit of 1992.
Victoria K. Holt
Distinguished Fellow
Victoria K. Holt is a Distinguished Fellow at the Henry L. Stimson Center.
Katheryn Howard
Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
Scott Jones
Nonresident Fellow
Scott A. Jones is a Nonresident Fellow at Stimson with the Trade, Technology, and Security program. His areas of expertise are WMD nonproliferation, export controls, sanctions, and economics. Jones is also a principal at TradeSecure, LLC.
Michelle Kae
Research Associate and Producer
Michelle Kae is a Research Associate at the Stimson Center and the Producer of “38 North,” a web journal that provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein
Nonresident Fellow
Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein is a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center, where he works primarily with the 38 North project, and serves as editor for its affiliate website North Korean Economy Watch.
Pamela Kennedy
Research Associate
Pamela Kennedy is a Research Associate with the East Asia program at Stimson. She holds a M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A.
Igor Khripunov
Nonresident Fellow
Igor Khripunov joined the Center for International Trade and Security (formerly the Center for East-West Trade Policy) at the University of Georgia in 1992 and served until July 2018 as a Distinguished Fellow with the Center as well as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Georgia’s School o
David Kim
Research Analyst
David Kim is a research analyst with the Stimson Center’s WMD, Nonproliferation, and Security program. He was formerly with the U.S. Department of State where he helped to advance priorities around international security and nonproliferation, U.S. – Japan affairs, and public diplomacy.
Michael Krepon
Co-founder/Senior Associate
Michael Krepon co-founded the Stimson Center in 1989. He served as Stimson’s President and CEO until 2000, and continues to direct Stimson’s programming on nuclear and space issues.
Alfredo Labbe
Nonresident Fellow
Ambassador Alfredo Labbé is a senior Chilean Diplomat, serving currently as Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Especial Envoy for Nuclear and International Security.
Ellen Laipson
Distinguished Fellow and President Emeritus
Ellen Laipson is a Distinguished Fellow and President Emeritus of Stimson. Laipson joined Stimson in 2002, after 25 years of government service. Her last post was Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997-2002).
Sameer Lalwani
Senior Fellow & Director
Sameer Lalwani is a Senior Fellow and Director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center where he researches nuclear deterrence, interstate rivalry, crisis behavior, and counter/insurgency.
Kirk Lancaster
Junior Fellow
Kirk Lancaster is a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. A scientist turned policy analyst, he holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago where he graduated with honors in both Chemistry and Law, Letters, and Society.
Joris Larik
Senior Researcher
Joris Larik is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs of Leiden University in the Netherlands and Senior Researcher for the Just Security 2020 Program at Stimson.
Jason Li
Research Assistant
Jason Li is a Research Assistant with the East Asia program at the Stimson Center. His research focuses on U.S.-China relations, cross-Strait relations, and grand strategy in Asia-Pacific.
John Lichtefeld
Nonresident Fellow
John Lichtefeld is a Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s Southeast Asia program and is engaged in research involving environmental security and political adaptation to climate change in mainland Southeast Asia.
Michael Madden
Nonresident Fellow
Michael Madden is a Nonresident Fellow at the Stimson Center and a leading contributing analyst to 38 North.
Faiqa Mahmood
Visiting Fellow
Faiqa Mahmood is a Visiting Fellow at the South Asia Program of the Stimson Center, where she is currently conducting research on the nuclear discourse in Pakistan. Ms.
Johanna Mendelson Forman
Distinguished Fellow
Johanna Mendelson Forman is a Distinguished Fellow with the Managing Across Boundaries Initiative at the Stimson Center, where she works on security and development issues, including regional multilateral engagement, civil-military relations and stabilization and reconstruction.
Lillian Mercho
Communications Specialist
Lillian Mercho is a Communications Specialist at the Stimson Center. She comes to Stimson after working in communications at The Center for International Private Enterprise and The Pastorum Group.
Bessma Momani
Nonresident Fellow
Bessma Momani is a Nonresident Fellow of The Stimson Center. She is Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
David Mozersky
Nonresident Fellow
Polly Nayak
Distinguished Fellow
Polly Nayak is a Distinguished Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. Nayak retired in 2002 as a senior government executive after a wide-ranging intelligence career.
Frank ODonnell
Nonresident Fellow
Frank O’Donnell is a Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s South Asia Program. His areas of expertise include nuclear doctrine and posture development, conventional military modernization, and national security policymaking processes in India, China and Pakistan.
Cristina Petcu
Research Associate
Cristina Petcu is a Research Associate with the Just Security 2020 program at the Stimson Center. She is a native of Romania and received a Master of Arts in International Affairs with concentrations in conflict & security and development from The New School.
Samantha Pitz
Research Assistant
Samantha Pitz is a Research Assistant at the Stimson Center and the Production Assistant for “38 North,” a web journal that provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
Richard Ponzio
Director and Senior Fellow
Richard Ponzio is Director of the Just Security 2020 Program and a Senior Fellow at Stimson. Previously, he directed the Global Governance Program at The Hague Institute for Global Justice, where (in a partnership with Stimson) he served as Director for the Albright-Gambari Commission on Global S
Michael Power
US Air Force National Defense Fellow
Michael Power is the United States Air Force’s National Defense Fellow at the Stimson Center. He recently completed a tour as the Chief of Readiness and Logistics in the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Legislative Liaison.
Kathryn Rauhut
Nonresident Fellow
Kathryn Rauhut is an attorney specializing in international security based in Vienna, Austria. She works primarily on nuclear security governance, accountability and liability issues with a focus on cybersecurity.
Jayita Sarkar
Nonresident Fellow
Jayita Sarkar is a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center's South Asia program. Sarkar is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.
Sarah Savoy
Director of Development
Sarah Savoy is the Director of Development at the Stimson Center. She has 10 years of non-profit experience in research, government relations, and development.
Lisa Sharland
Nonresident Fellow
Sharland is a Nonresident Fellow from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, where her research focuses on peacekeeping and Australia-Africa engagement.
Amanda Shaver
Research Associate
Amanda Shaver is a Research Associate with Environmental Security program at the Stimson Center.
James Siebens
Research Associate
James Siebens is a Research Associate with the Defense Strategy and Planning program, where he is currently working on a book related to US military operations “short of war” since the end of the Cold War.
Melanie W. Sisson
Senior Associate
Melanie W. Sisson is Senior Fellow with the Stimson Center Defense Strategy and Planning Program. Her work focuses on the relationship between defense strategic planning processes and the likelihood of achieving foreign policy and national security objectives.
Natalia Slavney
Research & Editorial Assistant
Natalia is a Research Assistant at the Stimson Center and Editorial Assistant for “38 North,” a web journal that provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
David Smith
Distinguished Fellow
David O. Smith is a Distinguished Fellow with the South Asia program at the Stimson Center.
David Solimini
Director of Strategic Communications
David Solimini brings 15 years of experience in policy and persuasion to national security and foreign affairs issues.
Anupam Srivastava
Nonresident Fellow
Anupam Srivastava is a Non Resident Fellow with the Trade, Technology and Security Program at the Stimson Center.
Mallory Stewart
Nonresident Fellow
Mallory Stewart is a nonresident fellow in the WMD, Nonproliferation, and Security program at the Stimson Center. Her areas of expertise include chemical and biological weapons law and policy, space security policy, U.S. missile defense, and nonproliferation and arms control law.
Rachel Stohl
Managing Director
Rachel Stohl is Managing Director and directs the Conventional Defense Program. Her areas of expertise focus on issues relating to the international arms trade, including drones, small arms and light weapons, and children in armed conflict.
Yun Sun
co-Director
Yun Sun is co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her expertise is in Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations and China's relations with neighboring countries and authoritarian regimes.
Emily Tallo
Research Assistant
Emily Tallo is a research assistant with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center and the deputy editor of South Asian Voices.
Yuki Tatsumi
Co-Director
Yuki Tatsumi is Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center.
Makayla Thompson
Finance & Administration Assistant
Makayla Thompson is the Finance & Administration Assistant at Stimson Center. She assists with finance and accounting functions, administration support, and contract & grant support.
Elizabeth Threlkeld
Fellow and Deputy Director
Elizabeth Threlkeld is a Fellow and Deputy Director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. Before joining Stimson, she served as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State in Islamabad and Peshawar, Pakistan, and Monterrey, Mexico.
Jenny Town
Research Analyst and Managing Editor
Jenny Town is a Research Analyst at the Stimson Center and the Managing Editor and Producer of “38 North,” a web journal that provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
Lovely Umayam
Research Analyst
Lovely Umayam is a Research Analyst with Stimson’s Managing Across Boundaries initiative.
Akriti Vasudeva
Research Associate
Akriti Vasudeva is a Research Associate with the South Asia program at the Stimson Center.
Mary Vecellio
Research Associate
Mary Vecellio is a Research Associate with the Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention Program at the Stimson Center.
Madeline Vellturo
Research Associate
Madeline Vellturo is a Research Associate with Stimson’s Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program. She recently completed a Master’s of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs focusing on International Security Policy and Conflict Resolution.
Cindy Vestergaard
Director
Cindy Vestergaard is the Director of Stimson’s Nuclear Safeguards Program. Her current research focuses on the impact of evolving international safeguards obligations on states and facility operators.
Courtney Weatherby
Research Analyst
Courtney Weatherby is a research analyst with the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, & Sustainability programs.
Martyn Williams
Nonresident Fellow
Haidi Scarlet Willmot
Nonresident Fellow
Willmot is a Nonresident Fellow at the Stimson Center. She worked for the United Nations Secretariat for a number of years, in the U.N. Operations and Crisis Centre and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, including assignments with the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the U.N.
Joel S. Wit
Senior Fellow and Director
Joel S. Wit is a Senior Fellow with Stimson and Director of 38 North. Wit is an internationally recognized expert on Northeast Asia security issues. As a U.S.
Reja Younis
Junior Fellow
Reja Younis is a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.
Sally Yozell
Senior Fellow & Director
Sally Yozell is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Environmental Security program at the Stimson Center.