LeAnne Howard

LeAnne Noelani Howard serves as the Special Advisor for NATO and the 2024 NATO Summit on the White House’s National Security Council. She coordinates interagency summit planning efforts in recognition of the Alliance’s 75th Anniversary and leads public engagement programming. LeAnne has 20 years of experience in policy advisory and staff director positions across the U.S. government and NATO, to include a decade focused on global special operations and another decade on defense strategy and strategic planning. She has worked in over two dozen countries across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and has White House, Capitol Hill, Pentagon, combatant command, academia, and private-sector experience. LeAnne has masters degrees from Fairfield University, George Washington University, and the US Naval War College, will complete a NATO-sponsored doctorate from Cardiff Metropolitan University this summer, and serves as an adjunct professor with Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. She has published research on combatting terrorism, NATO, resilience, hybrid, cyber, and emerging threats. A proud Honolulu native, LeAnne supports programs connecting the Pacific and Atlantic. She is married with two children who regularly advise her in the art of French pronunciation.