Sasha Baker
Sasha Baker | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office July 18, 2023 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Colin Kahl |
| Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
| Assumed office February 14, 2022 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | James Anderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Harvard University (MPP) |
| Awards | Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service |
Alexandra Nicole Baker
Most recently, Baker served as special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning on the
Early life and education
Baker was born Alexandra Nicole Rogers in 1983. She grew up in the New York City suburbs of northern New Jersey. Her maternal grandparents were from Russia, and her mother, Svetlana Lisanti, came to the U.S. as a refugee.[2][3]
Baker received her bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree from Dartmouth College in 2005 and a master of public policy (MPP) degree from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2011.[4] After receiving her MPP, Baker became a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.[5]
Career
After college, Baker worked for a consulting firm in Boston, which was not a good fit.[2] Beginning in 2007, Baker worked as a research assistant in the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee for two years.[6]
After gaining her master's, 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.[7] During that time she had detached duty in the Pentagon doing budget analysis.[citation needed] Baker was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 2015.[citation needed]
Baker later served as deputy chief of staff to
In 2017, Baker joined the office of Senator Elizabeth Warren as a policy advisor on national security issues.[9] Baker later joined Warren's 2020 presidential campaign as the candidate's chief national security advisor.[10][2][11]
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.[12] Biden would later nominate Baker to serve as deputy undersecretary of defense for policy in August 2021.[8] On February 9, 2022, Baker was confirmed by the Senate.[13]
Personal life
In 2015, Baker married Sam Baker, a journalist and editor at Axios.
References
- ^ "DA&M Donley swears-in DUSD(P) Baker". Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "Presidential Foreign Policy Forum with Sasha Baker". World Affairs Council of New Hampshire.
- ^ "Sasha Baker". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "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 August 11, 2021.
- ^ "Belfer Center Student Career Talk with Sasha Baker MPP2011". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ a b Gould, Joe (August 10, 2021). "Sasha Baker tapped for lead policy role at Pentagon". Defense News. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ Pager, Tyler (February 6, 2017). "Warren hires former Defense official as national security aide". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "'Most influential voice': Warren's network spreads throughout Biden administration". POLITICO. March 15, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress - 2nd Session".