Meghan O’Sullivan
Few people have had the immense impact that Meghan O’Sullivan has had at the highest levels of geopolitics. She is a globally respected geopolitical expert who has advised the nation’s highest-ranking leaders — from President George W. Bush to Secretary of State Antony Blinken — on some of the most-complex challenges in international affairs. Currently, Dr. O’Sullivan is the Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School. There, she leads 300 scholars, practitioners, and staff as they advance the boundaries of international relations, security, technology, science, energy, and the environment. The Belfer Center has consistently been ranked as the world’s top academic think tank.
Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Dr. O’Sullivan’s expertise is sought after by the U.S. government and global businesses, and she has been called “one of this century’s most influential people” by Esquire Magazine. She shares an engrossing overview of hot-button geopolitical issues and draws from her experiences in government, business, and diplomacy to shed crucial insights into foreign policy, national security, energy markets, and other areas of interest. Her speaking and writing on how large changes in the energy system — from advances in technology to extract oil and gas to the global move away from carbon-intensive fuels — has shaped how policymakers, businesses, and academics alike view these issues. As she hones in on topics such as the ever-evolving U.S.-China dynamic, the ties between Europe and Russia, and the changing energy and climate landscape, she relates her insights back to audience members and their organizations, and shares feasible strategies for how they can assess risk and adapt their businesses to geopolitical shifts.
Dr. O’Sullivan has been an influential presence in geopolitics for nearly three decades and continues to be one of the foremost authorities in her field. In addition to serving as a partner at the strategic consulting firm Macro Advisory Partners and as the chair of the North American Group of the Trilateral Commission, she is a member of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Foreign Policy Advisory Board. Previously, she was special assistant to President George W. Bush and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan, and served on the ground in Iraq for a total of two years. At the National Security Council, she played the key role in building consensus on — and overseeing the execution of — new policy directions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including helping lead the policy review that led to what now known as “the Surge” in Iraq. Earlier in her career, she worked under Secretary of State Colin Powell in the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning.
On top of her standing as one of the world’s most-trusted geopolitical experts, Dr. O’Sullivan is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, has served on the board of Raytheon Technologies, and is a on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her board and advisory responsibilities also include roles with the International Crisis Group and The Mission Continues, a non-profit organization that supports our nation’s veterans. She is on the advisory committee for the Women’s Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, as well as Columbia University’s Global Energy Policy.
The award-winning author of Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America’s Power, Dr. O’Sullivan has written several books and articles on international affairs. For her contributions in her field, she was awarded the Department of Defense’s highest civilian honor: the Distinguished Public Service Medal. She is also a three-time recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award.
Dr. O’Sullivan earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, a Master of Science in economics, and doctorate in politics from Oxford University. She was a Henry Crown Fellow from 2015-2017 and a Henry Luce Fellow in Indonesia from 1991-1992.