CFR Welcomes Four New Board Directors 

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is pleased to announce the newest members of its Board of Directors. Effective July 1, 2026, Charles Q. Brown Jr., Marie-Josée Kravis, Daniel B. Poneman, and David E. Sanger join the Board, bringing a wealth of expertise spanning military leadership, economics, energy policy, and journalism. CFR also welcomes back incumbent directors Cesar Conde, Deven J. Parekh, Tracey T. Travis, and Amy Zegart for new terms. 

Additionally, Sylvia Mathews Burwell has been elected vice chair of the Board. She succeeds Jami Miscik, whose leadership and dedication as vice chair have been an extraordinary asset to CFR over the past two decades.  

“I am delighted to welcome C.Q., Marie-Josée, Dan, and David to our Board, and to congratulate Sylvia on her election as vice chair,” said CFR President Michael Froman. “Their collective experience will meaningfully advance CFR’s nonpartisan mission to engage and inform members, policymakers, and interested citizens on the critical foreign policy challenges facing the United States and the world. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Jami Miscik for her exemplary service and steadfast commitment to CFR’s mission.”

Charles Q. Brown Jr.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., ret., is a strategic leader and global security expert whose nearly forty-year military career centered on leading people, strengthening alliances, and driving change. He most recently served as the twenty-first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Prior to that, General Brown served as the twenty-second chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, having commanded at every level across the United States, Africa, Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and the Middle East. 

General Brown serves as an executive in residence at Duke University and as the Susan McCaw distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He serves on the boards of Bessemer Trust, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the Air & Space Forces Association, and is a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company. General Brown was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People.  

General Brown holds a BS in civil engineering from Texas Tech University and an MS in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. 

Marie-Josée Kravis

Marie-Josée Kravis is the chair of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and an economist specializing in public policy analysis and strategic planning. She is a member of the boards of Publicis Groupe and LVMH, the vice chair of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the chair of the Sloan Kettering Institute, and the chair emerita of the Economic Club of New York. Mrs. Kravis served as the president of MoMA for fourteen years and is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Daniel B. Poneman

Daniel B. Poneman served as the U.S. deputy secretary of energy and chief operating officer of the Department of Energy from 2009 to 2014, and subsequently as the president and CEO of Centrus Energy Corp., the only U.S.-based producer of enriched uranium. Earlier in his career, he served on the National Security Council under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Mr. Poneman is a senior fellow at CFR, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a member of the Aspen Strategy Group.

Mr. Poneman holds an AB and JD from Harvard University and an MLitt from Oxford University.

David E. Sanger

David E. Sanger is the White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times, where he has worked for more than four decades covering technology, foreign policy, and the American presidency. He has been part of three New York Times teams awarded the Pulitzer Prize and is the best-selling author of four books, most recently New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West. Mr. Sanger also teaches national security policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Mr. Sanger is a 1982 graduate of Harvard College.

CFR’s Board of Directors, chaired by David M. Rubenstein, is composed of thirty-six distinguished leaders from across government, business, academia, and journalism. Board members are elected by CFR members annually and provide oversight and strategic guidance to CFR’s president and senior leadership.