Kathleen Hicks served as the 35th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, where she led the day-to-day global operations of the Department of Defense, the nation’s largest and most complex employer. As Deputy Secretary, Hicks launched innovation accelerators that significantly reduced delivery timelines for critical capabilities, laid the foundation for leveraging advanced computing, tripled investment in artificial intelligence, and expanded partnerships with non-traditional defense companies—growing their share of defense business to over $375 billion.
A board member and strategic advisor in the private sector, Hicks also holds appointments as a Senior Fellow at both the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and at Johns Hopkins University’s Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Hicks previously spent seven years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director of the International Security Program. She also held positions on the board of trustees of the Aerospace Corporation, the board of directors of the U.S. Naval Institute, the National Defense Strategy Commission, and the National Commission on the Future of the Army. Earlier in her career, Hicks served in numerous national security roles, including as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Forces, and as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
She earned her Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her M.P.A. from the University of Maryland, and her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.