Alex Kahan is a global strategy, operations, and policy leader with experience at the intersection of national security, government, and the private sector.
Most recently she served on the executive leadership team of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the government’s investment arm that provides financing to the private sector to advance foreign policy and development goals in key sectors and global markets. As the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, she led DFC’s enterprise strategic planning and consulting function, enabling DFC to grow to over 700 personnel with a $50B portfolio. Prior to DFC Ms. Kahan was the Chief of Staff for Global COVID-19 Response and Health Security at the U.S. Department of State, where she supported global pandemic response coordination and oversaw Department activities to distribute more than 700 million vaccines to 118 countries.
From 2017 to 2021, Ms. Kahan was at the Boston Consulting Group. Focused in the aerospace and defense and health sectors, she led teams to develop strategy, solve complex organizational and operational challenges, and drive impact for Fortune 500 and public-sector leadership in domestic and international settings. Prior to BCG, she served in national security roles at the White House and U.S. Department of State, including on the National Security Council as an aide to the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor and on the Vice President’s staff as Senior Advisor to the National Security Advisor. At State, she focused on Western Hemisphere and African Affairs in the Office of the Counselor, on the West Africa Ebola outbreak as Senior Advisor for the response, and was Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Ms. Kahan holds a M.P.P. from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a B.A. from Cornell University with honors. She is the recipient of the State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, DFC Honorary Award, and BCG Global Public Sector Award, and is a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations, member of Truman National Security Project, and former CNAS Next Generation National Security Fellow.