Evelyn Farkas

Evelyn Farkas
Executive Director of the McCain Institute
Assumed office
2 May 2022
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia
In office
2012–2015
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byCeleste A. Wallander
Succeeded byMichael R. Carpenter
Personal details
Born (1967-12-06) December 6, 1967 (age 56)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationFranklin and Marshall College (BA)
Tufts University (MA, PhD)

Evelyn Nicolette Farkas (born December 6, 1967)[1] is an American national security advisor, author, and foreign policy analyst. She is the current executive director of the McCain Institute, a nonprofit focused on democracy, human rights, and character-driven leadership.[2]

In 2012, Dr. Farkas was appointed by President Obama to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.[3] Before her appointment at the Department of Defense, Farkas served in various government positions, including as executive director for the bipartisan congressional Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism.[4] Following the announced retirement of Representative Nita Lowey, Farkas was a candidate to represent New York's 17th congressional district in the 2020 elections.[5]

Farkas is a frequent national security contributor on national television programs on MSNBC, CNN, and BBCNews, and her writing has been published in the New York Times and the Washington Post, among other outlets. She is a member of the board of trustees at her alma mater, Franklin and Marshall College.[6]

  1. ^ "Birthday of the Day: Evelyn Farkas, co-founder of Scarlet Oak Advisors and former deputy assistant secretary of defense". Politico. December 6, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  2. ^ "Dr. Evelyn Farkas". McCain Institute. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas > Biography". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism :: Evelyn Farkas". April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference WaPoarticle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Evelyn Farkas". The Aspen Institute. Retrieved April 20, 2022.