Michèle Flournoy
Michèle Flournoy | |
|---|---|
Flournoy in 2009 | |
| 9th Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
| In office February 9, 2009 – February 3, 2012 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Eric Edelman |
| Succeeded by | James Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 14, 1960 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | W. Scott Gould |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) Balliol College, Oxford (MLitt) |
Michèle Angélique Flournoy (/flɔːrnɔɪ/; born December 14, 1960) is an American defense policy advisor who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy under President Bill Clinton and under secretary of defense for policy under President Barack Obama.
As under secretary of defense for policy, Flournoy was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Department of Defense. In that position, Flournoy crafted the Obama administration's counter-insurgency policy in Afghanistan and helped persuade President Obama to intervene militarily in Libya.
In 2007, Flournoy co-founded the Center for a New American Security. She is a co-founder and the current managing partner of WestExec Advisors.