Celeste Wallander

Biography

Celeste Wallander is the Executive Director of Penn Washington, the University of Pennsylvania’s office in Washington, D.C. She also serves as a Senior Advisor at WestExec Advisors and is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Additionally, Celeste is a Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

With over a decade of experience as a U.S. government defense and security official, Celeste has a notable background in leadership roles within universities, think tanks, and foundations. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a significant vote of 83-13 on February 16, 2022, and appointed by President Biden as the 29th Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs on February 17, 2022. In this capacity, she was responsible for shaping U.S. national security policy concerning Europe, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Previously, Celeste served as the President and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Foundation (2017-2022) and as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia/Central Asia on the National Security Council (2013-2017). She also held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia/Ukraine/Eurasia from 2009 to 2012.

Earlier in her career, Celeste was a professor at renowned institutions including Harvard, Georgetown, and American University, and contributed as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Council on Foreign Relations. She earned her Ph.D., M.Phil., and M.A. from Yale University and holds a B.A. from Northwestern University.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Atlantic Council of the United States, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.