President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris Announce Additional Members of the National Security Council

Press Release

Today, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced additional members of the National Security Council (NSC), including both restoring the role of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor and establishing a new position of Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology. The NSC's primary role is to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies, and to coordinate those policies across government agencies. The staff members announced today will work with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to help President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris keep our nation safe and secure.

The appointment of these crisis-tested leaders demonstrates that the president and vice president-elect are ready to deliver results for the American people on day one. As leaders in the NSC, these officials will work relentlessly to safeguard the security of Americans, advance our national interests and shared prosperity, and to realize and defend democratic values.

"These dedicated public servants will be integral in keeping the American people safe and building capacity to prepare for and respond to the full spectrum of threats we face -- from cyber intrusions to grid attacks, from possible future pandemics to deliberate acts of terror. They will strengthen our resilience to natural disasters, and work with our allies and friends to ensure the cyber rules of the road are made by democracies. Our collaborative, cross-agency approach to national security, including our close work with critical infrastructure and the private sector to protect against threats to the American people, will deliver strong results for all Americans," said President-elect Joe Biden.

"This outstanding team of dedicated public servants will be ready to hit the ground running on day one to address the transnational challenges facing the American people -- from threats at our borders to threats from violent domestic extremists to cyber and disaster preparedness. They reflect the very best of our nation and they have the knowledge and experience to help build our nation back better for all Americans," said Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

"I am proud to announce that these incredibly accomplished individuals will be joining the National Security Council. They will bring a phenomenal track record of experiences to tackling the defining challenges of our time, and I thank them for their willingness to serve their country," said incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain.

Biographies of the appointees are listed below in alphabetical order:

Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology
Anne Neuberger is the National Security Agency's Director of Cybersecurity, where she leads NSA's cybersecurity mission, including emerging technology areas like quantum-resistant cryptography. Prior to this role, she led NSA's Election Security effort and served as Assistant Deputy Director of NSA's Operations Directorate, overseeing foreign intelligence and cybersecurity operations. She also previously served as NSA's first Chief Risk Officer, as Director of NSA's Commercial Solutions Center, as Director of the Enduring Security Framework cybersecurity public-private partnership, as the Navy's Deputy Chief Management Officer, and as a White House Fellow. In 2017, Neuberger was awarded a Presidential Rank Award for her service at the National Security Agency. Prior to joining government service, Neuberger was Senior Vice President of Operations at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company (AST), where she directed technology and operations. Born in New York, Neuberger is a graduate of Columbia University and Touro College.

Dr. Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall, Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor
Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall is a Distinguished Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. From 2014-2017, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. Earlier in the Obama administration, she served as White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control and previously as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council. In the Clinton Administration, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. She began her career working for then-Senator Joe Biden as his chief advisor on foreign and defense policy. Dr. Sherwood-Randall graduated from Harvard College and earned her doctorate as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Born and raised in California, she and her neurosurgeon husband have two sons, one in graduate school and one in college.

Russ Travers, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
Russ Travers is a 42-year Intelligence Community professional with a career that culminated in service as both the Acting Director and the Principal Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Prior to returning to NCTC, he served on the NSC as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Transnational Threat Integration. Previous assignments included the National Intelligence Council where he was the Senior Executive for Transnational Organized Crime and an earlier tour on the National Security Staff where he was appointed by President Obama to lead the Government's interagency task force developing structural responses to the Wikileaks disclosures. Before that, he served 7 years as a Deputy Director of NCTC, focused on correcting 9/11 related shortcomings in the areas of terrorist identities, information sharing, and advanced analytic techniques. Other notable assignments included Chief, Defense Intelligence Liaison to British Intelligence in London, a Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and numerous senior analytic positions in Defense Intelligence, on the Joint Staff, and in the broader Intelligence Community. He has undergraduate degrees in Government and Economics from the College of William and Mary, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Juris Doctor degree from the National Law Center at George Washington University.

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