Our Staff

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sunaina Danziger is a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. She graduated cum laude in History from Harvard College, with a secondary field in Spanish.

Grace Easterly is the Program Assistant for the South Asia Program. She graduated summa cum laude from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a BA in International Political Economy and Security and a minor in French.

Zeba Fazli is a Research Assistant with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, where she works on the Nuclear Learning initiative. Her research interests include geopolitics in South Asia and popular narratives and rhetoric about strategic relations between India and Pakistan.

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.

James Giles is a Nonresident Fellow with the 38 North program. He was most recently a Federal Executive Fellow at Stimson, on assignment from the United States Navy. James is a Surface Warfare Officer who has operated in the Arabian Gulf, the Horn of Africa, East and Southeast Asia.

Carolyn A. Haggis is a Congressional Fellow with the Security for a New Century (SNC) program at the Stimson Center. In this capacity, she supports Members of the House and Senate, as well as their staffs, in gaining a deeper understanding of international security issues.

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.

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.

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.

Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt is a Nonresident Fellow with the 38 North program at the Henry L. Stimson Center.

Ambassador Alfredo Labbé is a retired senior Chilean Diplomat, serving currently as Member and Vice-President of the International Humanitarian Fact Finding Commission (IFHHC, 2017-2021) and Professor at the National Academy for Political and Strategic Studies, Santiago.

Diego Cándano Laris is a Nonresident Fellow with the Nuclear Safeguards program. He focuses on non-proliferation and strategic trade issues. He chaired the Consultative Group of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) between 2017 and 2019.

Seungbok Lee is a Visiting Fellow with the 38 North program. He is currently a senior inspector at Korean National Police University in South Korea.

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.

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.

Dr. T. Negeen Pegahi is a Nonresident Fellow with the South Asia program. She is an assistant professor of strategy and director of the Mahan Scholars research program at the U.S.

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.

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.

Tyler Sagerstrom is a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. He graduated from The College of William & Mary, double majoring in International Relations and Economics.

Brigitta Schuchert is a Research Assistant with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center, as well as the Deputy Editor for South Asian Voices, an online publication featuring strategic analysis on South Asia.

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.

David Solimini brings 15 years of experience in policy and persuasion to national security and foreign affairs issues.

Chloe Stein is a Junior Fellow for the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center. She completed her Master of International Affairs at the Pennsylvania State University, where she focused on nuclear and international security.

Yun Sun is a Senior Fellow and 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.

Makayla Thompson is the Finance Coordinator at Stimson Center. She assists with finance and accounting functions, administration support, and contract & grant support.

Akriti Vasudeva is a Research Associate with the South Asia program at the Stimson Center.

Madeline Vellturo is a Research Analyst with Stimson’s Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program.

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.