Elisa Catalano Ewers

Elisa Catalano Ewers: is adjunct senior fellow in the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, where she focuses on the Middle East and U.S. national security and foreign policy. From 2005 to 2016, Ms. Ewers served as a foreign-policy and national-security expert on the U.S. Government. Her last position was as a Director for the Middle East and North Africa on the National Security Council. Prior to her White House position, she acted as senior policy advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, and before that to the Under Secretary for Policy Affairs, Bill Burns. Ms. Ewers advised on foreign- and national-security policy with a Middle East and counter-terrorism focus, covering the range of security, political and economic issues, including the Iran negotiations, U.S. policy in response to the “Arab spring,” transition in Iraq and relations with the Gulf Arab states. Ms. Ewers has also served in the State Department, as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, Chief of Staff to the Coordinator for Iraq and Senior Advisor for the Gulf and Southwest Asia. She has also worked in the private sector, for Booz Allen Hamilton and Wellington Management Company.