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Beth Sanner - Humanness, Connection, and Integrity in Intelligence
Beth Sanner
Former Intelligence Briefer to President Trump, Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence
- Advised multiple U.S. presidents and was among the most influential voices in their decision-making on national intelligence strategy and policy
- Provided analytic insights and expertise that informed U.S. foreign policy and strategy
- Briefs audiences on hot-button national and global intelligence matters and their potential to reshape our world
- Seamlessly blends analytics and visuals to illustrate the issues keeping world leaders up at night
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During her more than three-decade career as a leader in the Intelligence Community—including roles in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, CIA, U.S. Department of State, and White House—Beth Sanner was a trusted adviser to multiple U.S. presidents, congressional and cabinet officials, and foreign partners on the nation’s most critical intelligence and national security matters. In her roles as the senior-most analyst for the entire Intelligence Community (IC), Deputy Director of National Intelligence, President Trump’s intelligence briefer, and Director of the President’s Daily Brief, she uncovered threats to the country and briefed U.S. presidents and senior leaders on their potential impact. Having served in several national security leadership, staff, policy, and analytic positions, Sanner was among the most influential voices in presidential decision-making on national and global affairs. Her acumen remains highly sought after by our nation’s leaders and organizations across various industries.
Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Sanner uniquely immerses audiences in her talks, bringing them on a behind-the-scenes briefing on hot-button developments. Drawing from more than 35 years leading at the highest levels of intelligence, she makes sense of fast-moving events and threats to our national security, drawing connections between domestic and foreign policies, analyzing complex geopolitical factors, and offering her predictions for how events will unfold. She neatly blends key analytics with compelling visual storytelling to share important insights in a way that is easily digestible for audiences.
Regarded as an innovator, change agent, and leadership expert in intelligence circles, she oversaw the elements that coordinate and lead collection, analysis, and program oversight throughout the Intelligence Community (IC) during times of crisis both at home and abroad. Throughout her eight-year tenure at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the agency that provides oversight to the entire Intelligence Community, she also briefed the president and his advisers several times weekly, managed the IC’s most influential analytic enterprises (the President’s Daily Brief and the National Intelligence Council), led the IC’s integration of core mission areas across 18 agencies and tens of thousands of employees, and drove organization-wide initiatives on innovative programs and technology adoption. Before the ODNI, Sanner spent more than a decade as a senior executive in the CIA’s Directorate of Analysis, responsible for the production and distribution of analysis on key foreign issues in various regions that informed U.S. policy and strategy on South Asia, Russia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Previously, she was the U.S. Department of State’s special adviser for Balkan Affairs and a director in the National Security Council’s Russian and European Directorate at the White House, a role in which she briefed Presidents H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, their vice presidents, and national security advisers.
Sanner is currently the Director of Geopolitics and Strategy at International Capital Strategies, where she shapes geopolitical and geofinancial assessments in support of corporate and investment clients. In addition, Sanner is a senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center and the US Chamber Foundation, a distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and a contributing expert to The Cipher Brief. She also appears as a national security contributor on CNN, providing analysis on today’s top intelligence and geopolitical matters.
Widely recognized for her influence on national intelligence strategy and policy, Sanner is the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award (the highest honor bestowed on civil servants, awarded by President Biden), Distinguished Intelligence Service Medal, Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, two Superior Intelligence Service Medals, multiple CIA and DNI Director’s Awards, and several other accolades. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Sanner earned her B.A. in economics and international affairs from American University and was a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College, earning an M.S. in national security strategy.
Speaker Video
Beth Sanner Breaks Down the Russia-Ukraine Crisis on CNN
Geopolitics Meets Trump 2.0. Beth Sanner provides audiences with a framework for understanding President Trump’s worldview based on her experience as President Trump’s intelligence briefer during his first Administration. Applying a neutral analytic mindset honed by over three decades as an intelligence and policy official, she will explore the Trump Administration’s foreign policy priorities, the intersection of domestic and foreign policies, and their implications. Her personal experience in the Oval Office adds interest and authenticity to her informative and lively presentation.
Exploring the Nexus Between Intelligence and Emerging National Security Threats. Having spent her career leading and advising at the highest levels of national intelligence, Beth Sanner possesses unparalleled expertise on the issues that threaten our nation’s security. Audiences feel as though they’re inside the room at the center of critical intelligence meetings as she provides a high-level overview of cyber, space, and nuclear threats and emerging and disruptive technologies as the world’s powers navigate the potential for conflict. Telling a compelling story of the powers at play, she effectively breaks down complex geopolitical elements in a way that is easily digestible and shares predictions for how various scenarios may unfold.
Global Intelligence Brief: Geopolitics Knows No Boundaries. As a trusted presidential intelligence briefer and adviser to government leaders and foreign partners, Beth Sanner will help audiences sort through the noise and make sense of global challenges that affect all Americans. Sanner is the rare expert who can explain the complex and interconnected global issues, from U.S. policies on tariffs to threats emanating from our adversaries. Her insights have informed U.S. policy and strategy on China, Russia, Iran, South Asia, North Korea, and various other pivotal regions around the world. She possesses unparalleled expertise on region-specific intelligence matters and shares her sharp, ear-to-the-ground analysis on flashpoint issues, as well as the potential ripple effect these issues may have on the U.S. and its businesses. Sanner expertly tailors her analysis to illustrate how organizations in specific industries may be impacted by global events.
The Change Agent’s Journey: Leading Your Organization Through Uncertainty. As a former national intelligence leader and presidential adviser, Beth Sanner developed a reputation for her ability to steer organizations and their people through crises, challenges, and uncertainty in her three decades leading some of the government’s most complex agencies. A battle-tested difference-maker, she walks her audience through how to manage yourself and lead your organization through workplace challenges, from return-to-work measures to layoffs and financial distress. Her sought-after insights on facilitating work-place changes to emerge in a better position provide leaders a solid foundation from which to ignite their organization’s next transformation amidst uncertain times.
Crisis Management: How to Prepare for the Unpreparable. Through three decades of leadership, former ODNI and CIA official Beth Sanner has been tasked with navigating tens of thousands of employees through unimaginable challenges. From the Covid-19 pandemic and 9/11 to political scrutiny on issues ranging from the Afghan war to Russia, Sanner has set the standard for guiding her teams to the other side of a crisis through ethical and forthright leadership. Drawing from her experiences leading through crisis, she shares an evidence-based approach to assessing and analyzing a crisis that leaders can use to determine the best course of action for managing the situation at hand and driving success through challenging times.
Intelligent Innovation for Your Organization. Never one to resist change, Beth Sanner was often at the forefront of advancing technological innovation in her organizations and leading the integration of new systems and processes to advance her team’s capabilities. With a forward-looking approach to the way we get things done, she discusses why innovation is the backbone for advancing your organization and provides a framework for adopting an innovator’s mindset to develop ideas and solutions that align with your mission and power your people to success.
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