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Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security

This chair was established in 2016 with a generous gift from longtime Council on Foreign Relations member Ira A. Lipman, founder of Guardsmark, LLC. It supports a distinguished scholar or practitioner committed to the study of the impact of cyber and other emerging technologies on U.S. national security.

Ira A. Lipman (1940–2019)

Ira Lipman text

Ira A. Lipman was the founder of Guardsmark, LLC, one of the world’s largest security services companies. His successful leadership of Guardsmark for more than five decades established him as a leading visionary and pioneer of the global security industry. Lipman was active nationally in a wide range of business, political, religious, human relations, and cultural endeavors. He served on the boards of more than forty organizations, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the United Way of America, Ohio Wesleyan University, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In 1993, after years of dedicated service, he was named chairman emeritus of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. In 1992, he was named honorary chairman for life of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations from 2002 until his death in 2019.

Lipman wrote for the public on a wide range of security topics and contributed regularly to the professional literature of the security field. He was the author of the book How to Protect Yourself from Crime. Quoted frequently in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and appearing in the national broadcast media, Lipman was editor and publisher of the Lipman Report, a specialized monthly management newsletter.

Among his numerous awards, Lipman was a recipient of the Stanley C. Pace Award for Leadership in Ethics from the Ethics Resource Center, the American Business Ethics Award, and the Distinguished Achievement Citation for significant professional accomplishments and service to mankind from Ohio Wesleyan University. He held honorary degrees from John Marshall University, Northeastern University, and Ohio Wesleyan University.

Ira A. Lipman Chair in Emerging Technologies and National Security

2016–Present
Adam Segal