Sasha Baker

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Alexandra Nicole Baker[1] (née Rogers), known as Sasha Baker, is an American policy advisor who currently serves as Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the U.S. National Security Council.[2] She was formerly an aide to Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts. Baker worked on Elizabeth Warren's 2020 presidential campaign as her foreign policy advisor.[3]

Prior to this, Baker served as she was Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter during the Obama administration. She formerly served in both the homeland and national security divisions of the Office of Management and Budget, as well as Special Assistant to the Director.[4]

In August 2021, Baker was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy.[5][6]

Early life and education[]

Baker was born Alexandra Nicole Rogers in 1983. She grew up outside New York City in its suburbs in northern New Jersey. Her maternal grandparents were from Russia, and her mother, Svetlana Lisanti, came to the U.S. as a refugee.[3][7]

Baker received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree from Dartmouth College in 2005 and a Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2011.[8] After receiving her M.P.P., Baker became a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.[9]

Career[]

After college Baker worked for a consulting firm in Boston, which was not a good fit.[3] Beginning in 2007 Baker worked as a research assistant in the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee for two years.[10]

After gaining her masters, she worked at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), until July 2015. She started as a Program Examiner in the Homeland Security division then transferred to the National Security division. Baker was later elevated to the position of Special Assistant to the Director within in the OMB.[11] During that time she had detached duty in the Pentagon doing budget analysis.

Baker served as deputy chief of staff to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. According to Carter, Baker was intimately involved in Department of Defense strategy decision related to counterinsurgency against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).[5]

In 2017, Baker joined the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren as a policy advisor on national security issues.[12] Baker later joined Warren's 2020 presidential campaign as the candidate's chief national security advisor.[13]

Biden Administration[]

In January 2021, then-President-elect Joe Biden announced that Baker would be appointed Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council.[14] Biden would later nominate Baker to serve as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy in August 2021.[5][6]

Awards[]

Baker was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2015.

Personal life[]

In 2015, Baker marred Sam Baker, a journalist at the National Journal.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ "Sasha Baker - National Security Council (Jan. 2021-), Senior Director for Strategic Planning - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  2. ^ "'Most influential voice': Warren's network spreads throughout Biden administration". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  3. ^ a b c Klion, David (2020-02-18). "The Woman Behind Elizabeth Warren's Foreign Policy". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  4. ^ "Sasha Baker". Presidential Administration. Miller Center, University of Virginia.
  5. ^ a b c Gould, Joe (2021-08-10). "Sasha Baker tapped for lead policy role at Pentagon". Defense News. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  6. ^ a b "President Biden Announces Ten Key Nominations". The White House. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  7. ^ a b "Sasha Rogers, Samuel Baker". The New York Times. 2015-10-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  8. ^ "Presidential Foreign Policy Forum with Sasha Baker". World Affairs Council of New Hampshire.
  9. ^ "Sasha Baker". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
  10. ^ "Press Release - President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Additional Members of the National Security Council | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  11. ^ "Belfer Center Student Career Talk with Sasha Baker MPP2011". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  12. ^ Pager, Tyler (February 6, 2017). "Warren hires former Defense official as national security aide". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2021-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Biden's NSC to focus on global health, climate, cyber and human rights, as well as China and Russia". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  14. ^ Crowley, Michael (2021-01-08). "Announcing National Security Council staff appointees, Biden restores the office for global health threats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
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