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Anne Milgram
Administrator of the DEA (June 2021 to January 2025)
- Led a high-stakes career and radically modernized the DEA through data-driven changes that improved community safety
- Shares gripping stories of dismantling drug cartels and rescuing communities from fentanyl crisis, connecting policy to real-world impact
- Turns lessons from national and international threats into actionable insights that inspire leaders
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Anne Milgram’s high-stakes career in law enforcement, national security, and public safety has transformed the lives of many. As the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 2021 to 2025, she led over 10,000 public servants worldwide in the fight against global criminal networks and saw a historic 22% reduction in drug-involved deaths. With a powerful presence and a gift for storytelling, Milgram brings audiences into the heart of today’s most pressing challenges—combating the fentanyl crisis, dismantling global criminal networks, and transforming law enforcement through innovative solutions. She is exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau.
Under her leadership, the DEA became a network-focused, data-driven, and agile agency. She modernized the agency’s data infrastructure, expanded its role within the Intelligence Community, and formed elite teams uniting law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies together in the fight against global narcotics trafficking. A passionate advocate for public health and education, Milgram launched the national “One Pill Can Kill” campaign to raise awareness about counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills and created the Faces of Fentanyl Memorial at the DEA Headquarters.
With a career spanning from Attorney General of New Jersey to a senior advisor on criminal justice reform, Milgram has advised presidents, led large-scale operations, and even contributed to shaping how criminal prosecution is portrayed in media. A former professor and a sought-after speaker, she has the rare ability to break down complex global issues into compelling, accessible, and actionable insights. Her stories go beyond policy to address real people, real impact, and the power of leadership to create change.
From Bureaucracy to Battlefield: Lessons on Transforming the DEA to Save Lives. How do you take a massive, traditional agency and turn it into a modern, intelligence-driven force capable of saving thousands of lives? Anne Milgram shares the bold strategies she used to radically transform the DEA—leveraging data, breaking down silos, and building high-functioning teams that delivered unprecedented results. With real-world lessons in leadership, decision-making under pressure, and making high-stakes bets that pay off, this talk provides a blueprint for driving change in even the most complex organizations.
How to Achieve the Impossible: Lessons for Every Industry. What does it take to do the impossible? From leading the DEA through one of the most transformative periods in its history to turning around the Camden, New Jersey Police Department, Anne Milgram has led impossible feats at multiple levels. In this powerful, behind-the-scenes talk, Milgram shares the real-world strategies she used to defy expectations, overcome institutional setbacks, and deliver results. These lessons are applicable no matter what your industry is, and they will leave audiences inspired to solve big problems.
Inside the Global Drug War: How to Break a Criminal Empire. From chemical manufacturers in China to cartel strongholds in Mexico to money launderers, global drug trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry. As head of the DEA, Anne Milgram led the charge to map and dismantle these networks—holding every player accountable, from kingpins to street-level dealers. She takes audiences inside the highest levels of national security operations, sharing gripping, behind-the-scenes stories of high-stakes takedowns, negotiations, and intelligence-driven enforcement. This eye-opening talk reveals how criminal networks operate and what it takes to bring them down and offers key lessons on strategy, coordination, and tackling complex global challenges.
