EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
-
Michael E. Smith
Rear Admiral, US Navy, (Ret)
FOUNDER | PRESIDENT | BOARD CHAIRMAN
-
F. Whitten Peters
19th Secretary of the Air Force
BOARD TREASURER
-
John Rogers
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
BOARD SECRETARY
-
Courtney Larson
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
-
Linda Jackson
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
Executive Leadership Bios
Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith, USN (Ret)
Mike Smith is a retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. He founded and led National Security Leaders for Biden an independent non-partisan advocacy organization that included over 1100 former Senior National Security Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Their endorsement letter was signed by 780 National Security Leaders and they established a social media presence that reached over 15 million people and published over 200 OpEds in every battleground state and many key national publications that were aimed at undecided voters. Prior to NSL4B, Mike founded and led The American College of National Security Leaders, a national security think tank that provided a non-partisan voice to increasingly polarized national security discussions.
F. Whitten Peters
Mr. Peters is a Senior Counsel at the law firm of Williams & Connolly. From 1995 to 2001, he served as Secretary, Under Secretary and Acting Secretary of the Air Force, and Principle Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense. Peters was also National Chairman of the Air Force Association from 2016-2019, and has served on a number of Presidential, DOD, and Air Force advisory committees. During the Vietnam War, he was a Navy Reserve Line Officer. Peters holds degrees from Harvard College, the London School of Economics, and Harvard Law School.
John Rogers
John is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs and past CEO and founder of RL Leaders. RL Leaders resides at the nexus of the entertainment and national security spaces providing creative solutions to purpose-driven organizations. John has spent his career leading organizations in the national security, business, and political sectors. John is the author of the "Renaissance Campaign" and is a prominent speaker, having given the keynote address at the 75th Anniversary Bretton Woods Conference. John is Vice Chair of the Board of MV Transportation, the nation’s largest privately held mobility transportation company and in a period of transition served as interim CEO. John is also the Chairman of the Board of Seattle-based Apira technologies. John lives in WI with his wife and dogs while their kids are grown and making a difference on their own.
Courtney Larson
Courtney Larson has a strong background in data analytics, strategy, and operations management. Most recently she has worked in a management consulting firm and as a federal contractor to the Department of Defense. Prior to working as a defense contractor, Courtney worked for 10 years in financial services consulting firms that were focused on investment management and regulatory compliance. She also completed an internship in the Federal Reserve Board’s Division of Banking Supervision & Regulation. Courtney holds a B.A. degree from Northwestern University.
Linda Jackson
Linda retired from her career in public relations and advertising after 30 years of supporting public health and public safety initiatives. She served as Senior Vice President at Ogilvy Washington, leading efforts for HHS, CDC, NIH, DHS, and FEMA among many others. Prior to that, she was director of health communications at the American Institutes for Research and Vice President of communications at Prospect Associates. She is also the spouse of RADM Larry Jackson, retired, USN, and has supported several military family programs with communications and strategic planning expertise. Linda holds a B.S. in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University and completed her dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate.