Marie Harf is a national security communications and policy strategist who has worked on critical issues including the Iran nuclear negotiations and the Syrian refugee crisis.
Previously, Harf was senior advisor to and press spokesperson for Chuck Hagel during his successful confirmation to be Secretary of Defense.
During the 2012 election, Harf was Associate Policy Director responsible for all national security and foreign policy issues on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. Harf developed and implemented the campaign’s national security policy and communications strategies and was a member of President Obama’s debate preparation team.
Prior to joining President Obama’s campaign, Harf served as the Central Intelligence Agency’s Media Spokesperson, where she crafted the CIA’s media strategy on a wide range of sensitive national security and intelligence topics.
Harf began her career in the CIA’s Directorate of Intelligence, where she was an analyst on Middle East leadership issues. She produced finished intelligence products—including for the President’s Daily Brief—on top foreign policy priorities and authored in-depth assessments of foreign leaders.
Harf received her Master’s degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, where her thesis evaluated the prospects for continued regime stability in Saudi Arabia. She graduated with honors from Indiana University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with concentrations in Jewish Studies and Russian and Eastern European Studies. Ms. Harf is a native of Granville, Ohio.
Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies