Our Team

BOARD

CHARLES B. CURTIS

Charles Curtis served as the Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from 1994-1997. He is formerly the vice chair of the United States Department of State’s International Security Advisory Board, 2012 to 2017, and president emeritus of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Currently, he is a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS.) 

RICHARD GEPHARDT

Richard A. Gephardt served for 28 years in the United States House of Representatives, representing Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District, home to his birthplace St. Louis. He served as House Democratic Leader for more than 14 years, as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995 and Minority Leader from 1995 to 2003. Gephardt is President and CEO of the Gephardt Group, providing strategic counsel on federal government relations and domestic and international labor relations issues.

GARY HART

Gary Hart represented the State of Colorado in the United States Senate from 1975 to 1987. In 1984 and 1988, he was a candidate for his party’s nomination for President. Before retiring from public service, he was co-chair, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century; Chair, U.S. Department of State, International Security Advisory Board; Chair, U.S. Department of Defense, Commission on Threat Reduction; U.S. Envoy to Northern Ireland. He holds graduate degrees from Yale University and Oxford University.

JOEL MCCLEARY 

Joel McCleary served as Deputy Assistant to the President in the Carter Administration. Formerly, he served as president of the Sawyer-Miller Group, a strategic consultancy. Currently, he is Managing Partner of Four Seasons Ventures, which has conducted in-depth studies for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security on biodefense, including a review on the emergency powers of the President in the event of a pandemic. He is a co-founder of Keep Our Republic. 

MARK MEDISH

Mark Medish served as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director on the National Security Council and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury in the Clinton administration. He worked on foreign assistance at the State Department and the U.N. Development Program.  Formerly a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP., vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and president of a division of Guggenheim Partners. He is a co-founder of Keep Our Republic.  He was educated at Georgetown, Harvard and Oxford.

NICOLE WATSON

Nicole Watson works with nonprofits and startups on growth and fundraising strategies. She previously worked with a membership of Fortune 500 finance officers, researching, and disseminating corporate best practices. Prior roles included investor relations and corporate communications in the hospitality and airline industries. 

TIMOTHY WIRTH

Timothy E. Wirth served for 18 years in the United States Congress, representing Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District from 1975 to 1987, and as Senator from Colorado from 1987 to 1993. He was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education in the Nixon Administration, Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs under President Clinton, was the founding President of the United Nations Foundation and currently sits on the UNF Board.  He is a co-founder of Keep Our Republic. 

ADVISORY COUNCIL

MARY LANDRIEU

Mary Landrieu represented the State of Louisiana in the United States Senate for three terms, from 1997 to 2015. Prior to serving in the Senate, she was elected twice to the Louisiana State Legislature from 1979 to 1987. In 1987, she was elected State Treasurer and served with distinction for two terms. Since leaving the Senate, Landrieu served on the CenturyLink (Lumen) Board of Directors (November 2015 – May 2020); and currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Tyler Technologies and Evergy.

JANE LUTE

Jane Holl Lute is a national and homeland security policy professional and retired U.S. Army officer. She served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009-2013.

MARY MCCORD

Mary McCord served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2016 to 2017 and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division from 2014 to 2017. Currently, she serves as Legal Director at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) and Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.

TOM RIDGE

Tom Ridge served as the nation’s first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from October 2001 through December 2002 and first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from January 2003 through January 2005. Previously, he was governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1995 through October 2001 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 through 1995. Ridge is president and CEO of Ridge Global, an international security and risk management firm headquartered in Washington, DC.

TOM ROGERS

Tom Rogers is a Media and Technology Executive, the first President of NBC Cable, founder CNBC and MSNBC, and the longest serving and former President and CEO of TiVo. He is the former Chairman and CEO of PRIMEDIA Inc. and former senior counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Telecommunications, Consumer Protection and Finance Subcommittee.  Currently, he is the Executive Chairman of Engine Media, and Editor-at-Large of Newsweek.

DAVID SKAGGS

David E. Skaggs is an American lawyer, politician and educator from Colorado. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1999 and the Colorado House from 1981-1987. He was founding board Chair of the U.S. House’s Office of Congressional Ethics, on which he served from 2008 to 2021. Skaggs is a Vice Chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) board. He spent three years on active duty in the Marine Corps, including service in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division.

JONATHAN WINER

Jonathan Winer served as U.S. Special Envoy for Libya, deputy assistant secretary of state for International Law Enforcement, and counsel to U.S. Senator John Kerry. Expert on US Middle East policy, counterterrorism, international money laundering, illicit networks, corruption, and U.S.-Russia issues. In 2016, Winer received the highest departmental award granted by the Secretary of State, for “extraordinary service to the U.S. government.”

SENIOR STAFF

SEAN ENGLAND

Sean England is a digital strategist and multimedia expert who has led digital communications for numerous progressive organizations and national political campaigns. 

ARI MITTLEMAN

Ari Mittleman is a political consultant with a focus on public relations and advocacy campaigns. He formerly served as senior staff for U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and is a specialist in the Balkans region. 

CHLOE SQUIRES 

Chloe Squires advises political campaigns and nonprofits on fundraising and public relations strategies.  She is a member of the board of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti and Piedmont Environmental Council. 

DAVID WADE

David Wade has served at the highest levels of the U.S. State Department, on Capitol Hill, and on two national presidential campaigns. Former Chief of Staff to John Kerry, he is a Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and was awarded the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award.