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Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall  

White House Homeland Security Advisor

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall currently serves as the White House Homeland Security Advisor.Throughout her career in public service and at leading universities and research institutions, she has engaged the toughest global challenges, including reducing nuclear dangers, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and countering climate change. She was a Distinguished Professor of the Practice at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Nunn School of International Affairs and a Senior Fellow at its Strategic Energy Institute. She was also a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and advised several U.S. National Laboratories, energy funds and research endeavors, and cybersecurity startups.

Sherwood-Randall served throughout the Obama Administration in a series of senior leadership roles. From 2014 until 2017, she was the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Energy. In that capacity she was the statutory chief operating officer, with broad responsibilities for overseeing a workforce of more than 112,000 and a budget of nearly $30 billion, managing the U.S. nuclear stockpile, advancing the Nation’s science and energy competitiveness, and leading Federal efforts to address climate change and secure the power grid.

Prior to her tenure at DOE, Sherwood-Randall served as Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control from 2013-2014.

In the Clinton Administration, Sherwood-Randall served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. She pioneered the implementation of a cooperative security framework with Russia for reducing the lethal legacy of the massive Cold War nuclear arsenals. She also had direct responsibility for successfully meeting the unprecedented challenge of persuading three former Soviet states – Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan – to give up their nuclear weapons. She has been awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Nunn-Lugar Trailblazer Award. Earlier in her career, she was Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Advisor to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Speech Topics

Women In Leadership

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall began her career on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon as one of very few women in national security. She has often been the only woman in the room, ranging from the Oval Office and White House Situation Room to chairing predominantly male corporate management entities as COO of the Department of Energy. In this most recent role, she often heard from employees at all levels who were excited to see a female leader succeed, and this feedback inspired an ongoing conversation about how to create more inclusive workplaces. She can speak to the importance of recruiting and mentoring the next generation of women leaders—particularly in traditionally male-dominated fields. In this discussion, Elizabeth describes what it means to be an effective female leader and how organizations can and must foster growth opportunities for both women and men in order to achieve their goals.

STEM: Preparing Americans For The Jobs of Tomorrow

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) have emerged as the fundamental skills needed for careers in our changing economy. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall has worked in a variety of senior leadership roles in which she was at the forefront of efforts to keep the United States on the cutting edge of technological innovation—and leverage those efforts to our economic and national security advantage. Most recently, as Deputy Secretary of Energy she was the chief operating officer of a Federal agency with an annual budget of nearly $30 billion that is a science, technology, and national security powerhouse. She is now a professor at one of the leading S&T universities in the world. Elizabeth speaks accessibly to community leaders, STEM practitioners, and aspiring young people about the enduring value of a solid foundation in science and math—and how it can open doors for women and minorities. For business leaders, she describes the benefits of STEM investments as a pathway to keeping their competitive edge, attracting top innovators, and recruiting and retaining the diverse talent that will power their futures.

Brexit: What It Means & Why It Matters

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall served at the White House as the President’s principal advisor on Europe with responsibility for America's relationships with 49 countries in Europe, including managing the impact of the Eurozone crisis and U.S. policy toward a potential Brexit. She will explain what Brexit actually means and why it matters, including how it will impact American economic and national security interests. Elizabeth will also demystify what a “backstop” means—which has proven to be a major hindrance to an acceptable deal—and talk about what the consequences will be if a reasonable solution is not found for effectively managing the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Assessing Global Trends, Threats, & Opportunities

As a national security and foreign affairs expert who has devoted her career to addressing the world’s most pressing global challenges, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall provides a comprehensive look at the major trends and most significant threats facing the world today. Drawing on extensive insider experience, having served earlier in her career at the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia, where she led unprecedented initiatives to successfully denuclearize three countries, and more recently at the White House National Security Council where she had responsibility for European Affairs and subsequently for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Arms Control.

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