Printable Version

CNP announces Dr. Stephen Flynn as new president

For Immediate Release:
12/10/2009

Contact:  Liz Packard, CNP Communications Director
(202) 682-1800

Dr. Stephen Flynn

WASHINGTON, DC - The Center for National Policy announced today that Dr. Stephen Flynn has been named its sixth President commencing on January 1, 2010.  Flynn's extensive work to strengthen national security while enhancing U.S. competitiveness is widely recognized and highly regarded by experts and policy makers on both sides of the political aisle.  His priority for the Center will be to respond to the crisis of America's deteriorating infrastructure as a national security, environmental and economic imperative. 

As president, Dr. Flynn will continue the proud tradition of intellectual leadership and civil dialogue advanced by such distinguished former Center for National Policy leaders as Cyrus Vance, Edmund Muskie, Madeleine Albright, and most recently Tim Roemer, the new U.S. Ambassador to India.
 
Former Secretary of State George Shultz describes Flynn as "one of the nation's most respected and influential voices on homeland and national security."  And according to former 9/11 Commission Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton, "Steve will be a tremendous asset to the Center for National Policy.  He is well-respected for his deep knowledge and nonpartisan approach to managing many of the important security challenges that confront the nation." 

In addition to the Center's ongoing security and public policy work, Flynn plans to place special focus on America's crumbling infrastructure.  "The one thing we can safely predict about the future is that Americans will be confronted by man-made and natural threats," Flynn contends.  "Today, our national security, economic competitiveness, and ecological sustainability hinges on whether we can muster the political will to reverse the reckless neglect of our nation's infrastructure.  The United States needs to harness the energy and ingenuity of individuals, universities, and the private and public sectors to lead the world in developing a hybrid infrastructure for the 21st Century--one that is resilient enough to adapt and respond to emerging risks while at the same time creating real jobs for Americans, as well as opportunities to export innovations to the global marketplace."

Leslie H. Gelb, former President of the Council on Foreign Relations, says that Flynn "is the only person I can think of who can save two vital American birds with one stone.  Flynn has the standing within the security and public policy communities to get Washington to understand that the building and rebuilding of our nation's infrastructure bolsters our homeland security and stimulates our economy.  There are no more urgent and important tasks before America."

"History should be our guide," Flynn notes.  "In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower argued that building the world's best highway system was vital for our national defense as well as essential to boosting our economy.  Americans have always embraced the need to think and act ambitiously in the past, and we can and must do so again." 

Flynn comes to the Center for National Policy from the Council on Foreign Relations, where he has been a Senior Fellow since 1999, most recently holding the Ira A. Lipman Chair for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies.  At the Council his influential work centered on global trade and transportation security, private-public partnerships, and national resilience. 

Flynn's tenure at the Council on Foreign Relations followed a distinguished career in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he twice held commands at sea, served on the National Security Council as Director of the Office of Global Issues, and was assigned as an advisor to the U.S. Commission on National Security (Hart-Rudman Commission).  He is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and received his M.A.L.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  Flynn has received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career including an honorary doctorate from Monmouth University in 2009, the Legion of Merit in 2001, and the Coast Guard Academy Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 1999. He is the author of the critically acclaimed The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation (2007) and the national bestseller America the Vulnerable (2004).
 

---

 "Steve Flynn is a superb public servant and the Center for National Policy will greatly benefit from his leadership.  As one of the nation's most respected and influential voices on homeland and national security, his work with the Center will undoubtedly contribute to enhancing America's security and prosperity."

"For nearly three decades, the Center for National Policy has served as a unique institution in Washington, quietly taking on complex foreign and domestic policy challenges that often do not make headlines otherwise.  The Center will continue to fill this very important role under the new leadership of Steve Flynn, a gifted leader who will expertly carry out the organization's mission.  I have no doubt that the Center will maintain and build on its reputation as a place that policymakers, members of Congress, and the media can turn to for civil dialogue and innovative and pragmatic solutions for building a safer and more prosperous global community."

"Long before the events of September 11, 2001, Steve Flynn was sounding the alarm and advocating thoughtful and pragmatic proposals for dealing with America's vulnerability to catastrophic terrorism.  In the subsequent years, his eye has remained squarely on the horizon to identify new challenges and opportunities for building a safer and more resilient nation.  I am delighted that Americans will continue to benefit from his leadership as the new President of the Center for National Policy." 

"Steve will be a tremendous asset to the Center for National Policy.  He is well-respected for his deep knowledge and nonpartisan approach to managing many of the important security challenges that confront the nation. The 9/11 Commission sought out his expertise during our deliberations and Governor Tom Kean and I recently turned to him once more, to serve on our bipartisan National Security Preparedness Group.  The Center and those it serves are fortunate to have him as its new President."

"Steve Flynn is the only person I can think of who can save two vital American birds with one stone.  Flynn has the standing within the security and public policy communities to get policymakers to understand that the building and rebuilding of our nation's infrastructure bolsters our homeland security and stimulates our economy.  There are no more urgent and important tasks before America.  As President of the Center for National Policy, Flynn will be well-positioned to hold Washington's feet to the fire."