Iris Ferguson

Biography

Iris joins Penn Washington following a distinguished career spanning the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Senate. Most recently, she served as the inaugural Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Arctic and Global Resilience (2022–2025), where she advised the Secretary of Defense on protecting U.S. and allied interests in the Arctic. Her portfolio included oceans policy and the Freedom of Navigation Program, critical minerals, energy security, and broader resilience initiatives.

Previously, Iris served as an advisor to the U.S. Air Force, where she authored the service’s first Arctic Strategy. Earlier in her career, she held roles at the Department of Commerce and on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as a legislative aide. She is a former Council on Foreign Relations Term Member and served as an International Affairs Fellow focused on Arctic and space security in Canada.

Iris is the President and Founder of IAF Strategies and a non-resident Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She holds a B.A. from the University of Arkansas and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University.