Bruce W. McConnell
DISTINGUISHED Fellow
Bruce W. Mcconnell
HIGHLIGHTS*
2013-2021: CEO and President, EastWest Institute.
2009 to 2013: Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
1986-99: Chief of Information Policy and Technology in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, White House Office of Management and Budget.
*Final position shown
Bruce McConnell has been a leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years. As a Distinguished Fellow at ORF America, he is providing leadership and oversight on a project to promote cyberspace cooperation in the Global South.
His debut novel, Crows Calling: An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures, publishes in September 2025. The story follows a girl and her family as they realize how they — and we — must change our attitudes to the natural world if we are to survive climate change. A collection of his poetry, Living from Here, was published in 2018.
McConnell was the final President and CEO of the EastWest Institute, driving the migration of the institute’s programs, which focused on reducing and mitigating conflict among nations, to new homes in other nonprofit organizations including ORF America.
From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he founded, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.
McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves on the board of the Stimson Center and is a business advisor to various technology companies.
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