Lisa Sawyer

Lisa C. Sawyer is the Executive Director of the JPMorganChase Center for Geopolitics. She brings to this role nearly two decades of foreign policy and national security experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She is also a non-resident senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

Ms. Sawyer most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for European and NATO Policy, as well as the inaugural Special Coordinator for Afghanistan. In this dual-hatted role, she led U.S. defense policy toward Europe, NATO, and the EU; shaped efforts to support Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion and oversaw all defense policy issues related to Afghanistan.

Previously, Ms. Sawyer served at the White House under both the Biden and Obama Administrations. As special advisor to Vice President Harris, she provided strategic counsel on all matters related to Europe, Russia, and defense—including the U.S. response to Russia’s aggression, engagements with foreign leaders, and initiatives aimed at strengthening transatlantic relations. On the National Security Council (NSC) staff under President Obama, she was Director for NATO and European strategic affairs, where she led the U.S. government’s preparations for the NATO Summit in Wales and managed the development of plans and force posture adjustments to enhance readiness and reassure allies following Russia’s 2014 aggression in Ukraine.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Sawyer has held a variety of positions at the Defense Department, including Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA), NATO Policy Adviser, and Director for North Africa throughout the Arab Spring. For her contributions during the 2011 military intervention in Libya, she received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service for her. She began her career as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF), and has served at the ISAF headquarters in Kabul and at NATO headquarters in Brussels, among other assignments.

Outside of government, Ms. Sawyer has worked in global government relations at JPMorganChase and was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She has testified on European security policy before committees in the House and Senate and her analysis has been featured in major news outlets such as the Financial Times, Foreign Policy, MSNBC, and other outlets. She graduated magna cum laude of Baylor University with a B.A. in international studies and holds an M.A. in international affairs from George Washington University.