Michèle Flournoy

Michèle Flournoy, the highest-ranking woman to have served as a Senate-confirmed Presidential appointee in the Pentagon, is known for her strategic insights, clear and candid analysis, and leadership experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Woven into her talks are personal anecdotes and lessons learned from her time serving as the principal policy advisor to the Secretary of Defense and as a regular member of the National Security Council "Deputies Committee" – from what it was like to be in the Situation Room during the raid on Osama bin Laden to how an environment that welcomes debate and dissent can help a President make better decisions. As one of the highest-ranking women in national security, she can also speak to the experiences of women as they seek to excel and lead in historically male-dominated sectors. As a successful entrepreneur, she draws from her experience as the co-founder of both a top bipartisan think tank and a new strategic advisory firm to offer insights on how to build mission-centered organizations with a collaborative high-performance culture, and a reputation for excellence and impact.