Benjamin J. Rhodes

Benjamin J. Rhodes is a writer, political commentator, and national security analyst. From 2009-2017, Ben served as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. In that capacity, he participated in all of President Obama’s key decisions, oversaw the President’s national security communications and public diplomacy, and led the secret negotiations with the Cuban government that resulted in the effort to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba.

He is currently a contributor for NBC News; co-host of Pod Save the World; a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama; and chair of National Security Action. His work has been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Foreign Affairs.

Ben is the author of The New York Times bestsellers After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House.

Impact Summit:
09:15 – 10:00 A global perspective on the recession of democracy in Central Europe (hosted by Michal Kovačič)