Thomas Donilon
Former National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama
As President Obama has said, “Tom Donilon has helped
shaped every significant national security decision of my
Presidency,” including: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,
the Arab Spring, the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, and the
President’s rebalancing of America to Asia (culminating in
Donilon’s negotiation of the 2013 U.S.-China Summit).
He was also the President’s personal emissary to a number
of world leaders—from the President of China to the Prime
Minister of Israel to the President of Russia.
His first position at the White House was in 1977 working
with President Carter. During the Clinton Administration,
he served as Assistant Secretary of State and Chief of Staff
at the U.S. Department of State and was responsible for
the development and implementation of the Department’s
major policy initiatives, including: NATO expansion, the
Dayton Peace Accords, and the Middle East Peace process.
Currently, Donilon is a distinguished fellow at the Council
on Foreign Relations and a non-resident Senior Fellow
at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science
and International Affairs. He is the recipient of numerous
honors, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished
Service Award.
Prior to his government service, Donilon was a partner at the
international law firm of O’Melveny & Myers and served as
a member of the firm’s global governing committee.
He received his undergraduate degree from Catholic
University and his law degree from the University of
Virginia. Donilon is based in Washington, D.C.