WASHINGTON D.C. - The Truman Center for National Policy is pleased to welcome Jeremy Bash and Dr. Rebecca Chavez to our Board of Directors.
In this role, Jeremy Bash and Dr. Rebecca Chavez will help guide Truman Center’s mission, advancing whole-of-society American leadership for human rights, inclusion, prosperity and security at home and around the globe.
Jeremy Bash is a recognized expert in national security affairs. After spending 20 years in the intelligence community, he founded Beacon Global Strategies LLC, a consulting firm that advises national leaders and chief executives on a range of strategic, management, legal, and policy issues.
“As Truman expands its work to forge a new American leadership in an uncertain world, we’re thrilled to welcome Jeremy,” said Jenna Ben Yehuda, Truman’s President and CEO. “His exceptional ability to distill complex national security topics into clear, accessible analysis has made him a sought-after voice for our complex times. Taken together with his deep knowledge of national security decision making and the emerging role of advanced technologies, we welcome Jeremy’s leadership as we steward Truman during this exciting time of growth and expansion.”
Bash has served in a variety of roles within defense and foreign policy, including; as a director on former Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign and as Chief Council on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Bash also served as Chief of Staff to Leon E. Panetta in his capacity as both Director of the CIA (2009-2011) and Secretary of Defense (2011-2013). In these roles, Bash worked on a number of key initiatives, including the creation of a new defense strategy and formation of two defense budgets. From August 2010 to May 2011, he was a member of the CIA’s senior management team overseeing the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.
“The Truman Center is an indispensable engine of American excellence — powered by cutting edge ingenuity and big ideas, limitless talent from all walks of American life, and a world-class organization that sees civic engagement and national security as sacred callings,” said Bash. “I am so excited and honored to join the board of this national treasure and I look forward to contributing to the legacy of President Truman and his vision for US global leadership.”
He is a recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal and the CIA Director’s Award. In 2010, Time Magazine named Mr. Bash one of the nation’s Top 40 Civic Leaders Under 40.
Mr. Bash graduated from Georgetown University, magna cum laude. He earned his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez is a long-standing policy expert focusing on defense in Latin and Central America, who will contribute expert insight and analysis towards the US’ strategy in the region.
“Rebecca’s rare combination of experience as a leading international affairs scholar and senior defense policymaker will help advance Truman Center’s efforts to produce relevant and resonant products built for impact at this critical time for US global leadership,” said Jenna Ben Yehuda, Truman’s President & CEO. “We’re delighted to welcome Rebecca and look forward to her creative dynamism and leadership.”
Prior to her current position at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), Dr. Chavez held the title of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs. She held substantial roles in increasing Mexico’s commitment to regional security cooperation, defining DoD support to the Colombian peace process and resetting defense relations with Argentina and Brazil.
Dr. Chavez is also the author of “The Rule of Law in Nascent Democracies,” and is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and Defense One.
"I am thrilled and honored to join the Truman Board. The Truman Center is a leader in advancing democratic values globally and underscoring the importance of upholding these values here at home for them to have any meaning abroad,” said Dr Chavez. “Fortunately, the broader national security community is following Truman’s lead by recognizing the link between domestic issues, such as racial justice and our global engagement. I’ve also been a longtime admirer of and a witness to the Truman Center’s tremendous work preparing the next generation of smart, strong, and diverse national security leaders, and I look forward to doing my part in helping the Truman Project advocate, shape policy, and make change."
Raised in Austin, Texas, Dr. Chavez received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University. She is a member of the Princeton Institute for Regional and International Studies Advisory Board, the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS) Steering Committee, the Foreign Policy for America Advisory Board, the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of multiple grants, including a Fulbright Scholarship.
