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United States Kiron Skinner is an international relations expert, US foreign policy strategist, and political analyst who offers valuable insights to organizations regarding global affairs, security, and strategic challenges.
Kiron Skinner holds the Taube Family Chair of International Relations and Politics at Pepperdine School of Public Policy, where she also directs the Grand Strategy Program and the University's Institute for Diplomacy, Security, and Innovation.
Kiron Skinner is a W. Glenn Campbell Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and participates in projects including the Global Policy and Strategy Initiative and the Arctic Security Initiative. She was appointed to the National Security Education Board by President George W. Bush as a Hoover Fellow.
Kiron Skinner is a Presidential Advisor and a senior advisor to the president of The Heritage Foundation. Her work at Heritage focuses on analyzing the impact of cutting-edge technology and she contributed to the State Department chapter in the 'Mandate for Leadership' book.
Kiron Skinner held membership on the US Department of Defense's Defense Policy Board as an adviser on the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and also on the Defense Business Board.
Kiron Skinner served as Director of Policy Planning and Senior Adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from September 2018 to August 2019. In this role, she steered policy discussions, re-engaged in red-team exercises, and played a central role in creating the Commission on Unalienable Rights.
Kiron Skinner served as a convener for the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, bringing national thought leaders to Fort Meade to address cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
Kiron Skinner is a lifetime director on the board of the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.
Kiron Skinner is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City.
Kiron Skinner is a member of the board of the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles, California.
Kiron Skinner contributed to the State Department chapter in the ninth edition of 'Mandate for Leadership,' a book by the Heritage Foundation that provides the policy agenda for Project 2025.
Kiron Skinner was born in Chicago in 1961 and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. She began her academic journey by earning an associate degree in communications from Sacramento City College in 1979. She then attended Spelman College, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science. Skinner continued her education at Harvard University, earning both an MA and a PhD in political science and international relations.
Skinner has maintained a distinguished career in academia and government service. She is currently the Taube Family Chair of International Relations and Politics at Pepperdine School of Public Policy, where she also directs the Grand Strategy Program and the Institute for Diplomacy, Security, and Innovation. Her previous academic roles include serving as the Taube Professor for International Relations and Politics at Carnegie Mellon University, where she founded several centers and institutes, including the Washington Semester Program. Beyond her academic contributions, Skinner has served on various government advisory boards, such as the US Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, the Defense Business Board, and the Chief of Naval Operations’ Executive Panel. From September 2018 to August 2019, she held the position of Director of the Office of Policy Planning and Senior Policy Adviser to the US Secretary of State, where she initiated discussions on China and fostered transatlantic partnerships.
Her expertise extends to cybersecurity and emerging technologies, having helped establish interdisciplinary degrees at Carnegie Mellon University and convened national thought leaders for the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command. Skinner is also an award-winning author, with her coauthored books on Ronald Reagan, “Reagan, In His Own Hand” (2001) and “Reagan, A Life in Letters” (2003), both becoming New York Times bestsellers. She is a frequent contributor to prominent publications and regularly provides commentary on FOX News. Her contributions have been recognized with an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Molloy College and the Navy Superior Public Service Award.
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