Jake Sullivan

At 44, Jake Sullivan is one of the youngest people to serve as National Security Adviser to the U.S. President. Yet he is also one of the best prepared, having already excelled at the highest levels of government service. As a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate, as a senior official at the State Department and as National Security Adviser to then Vice President Biden, he developed an uncommonly deep understanding of the national security decision-making process that is now his to manage.

Having observed him up close, I can testify that Jake is a brilliant strategist, a rigorous thinker, and an incredibly humble and kind human being. What could truly set him apart as he assumes this pivotal role is the broader lens through which he sees issues of national security. He has focused deeply on the connections between domestic and foreign policy, and has said that any policy initiative should be judged by a basic question: Will this make life better, easier, safer for working families across this country? The Biden Administration has pledged to deliver for these families. If it succeeds, it will be in no small part because of Jake’s leadership.

Albright is a former U.S. Secretary of State