Ambassador Julianne Smith served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO from 2021-2024, where she represented the United States during the NATO response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Previously, she was Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice-President Biden from 2012–13. Smith is an expert in transatlantic relations, having been the Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at CNAS from 2014–2018. She earned a BA from Xavier University and an MA from American University.