National Security Council
Council Member: Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor
Council Designee: Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, National Security Council
Gayle Smith is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council, where she is responsible for global development, stabilization and humanitarian assistance issues. She was previously a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Co-Chair of the ENOUGH Project, and Co-Founder of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. During the Clinton Administration, Ms. Smith served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the NSC, and as Senior Advisor to the Administrator and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Ms. Smith was based in Africa for over 20 years as a journalist covering military, economic, and political affairs for the BBC, Associated Press, Reuters, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Toronto Globe & Mail, London Observer, and Financial Times. She has also consulted for a wide range of NGOs, foundations, and governmental organizations including UNICEF, the World Bank, Dutch Interchurch Aid, Norwegian Church Relief, and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation.
Ms. Smith is a graduate of the University of Colorado.
