Our Staff & Fellows

In response to increasing demand for mentorship and increased interest in career pathways for climate and security practitioners, the Climate and Security Advisory Group (CSAG) has developed a community-wide Climate Security Fellowship Program. It is the first professional organization for emerging leaders seeking meaningful careers at the intersection of climate change and security. The program connects established climate security experts with pr... More

Chief Executive Officer

Expertise: U.S. Foreign Policy; U.S. Congress; International Trade; Business Diplomacy; Trans-Atlantic Relations; Sub-Saharan Africa; Diplomacy; Politics and Governance; International Law & War; Transitional Justice and International Criminal Law

Patrick C. Costello is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project (ASP) in Washington, DC. Cos... More

Chief Operating Officer

Expertise:  Public diplomacy, military history, national security policy, nuclear security, U.S.-Russia relations, asymmetric operations

Matthew Wallin is ASP’s Chief Operating Officer, and has led ASP’s research on public diplomacy and strategic communications since 2011. As an expert in national security strategy and international relations, Matt... More

Senior Fellow for Climate Security

Expertise: Climate security, emergency Response/disaster preparedness, civil affairs, security cooperation, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) issues, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), interagency collaboration

Jessica Olcott Yllemo is a national security professional with 15 years of experience at the nexu... More

Climate Security Outreach Manager

Expertise: Climate Security, Energy management, Sustainability.

Adam Despang is the Climate Security Outreach Manager at the American Security Project.

Adam, a former Army Field Artillery Officer, earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Psychology from the United ... More

Illicit Fishing Research Associate

Expertise: Ocean security, IUU fishing, green energy geopolitics, and environmental conflict 

Samuel Naujokas (he/him) is an M.A. in International Environmental Policy candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. Within this program, he is pursuing a specialization in Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

P... More

Senior Fellow for Climate Security (on leave)

Expertise: US National Security Policy, Climate Security, South and Southeast Asia Policy, Internal Conflict

David Haines is a Senior Fellow for Climate Security at the American Security Project.  His research examines the national security implications of climate change.

From 2006-2020 he was an o... More

Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated Fishing Intern 

Expertise: Federal Regulatory Policy, State and Federal Government Relations, Law

Quinne Daoust is an IUU Fishing Intern at the American Security Project.

Currently, Quinne is a second-year law student at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Her legal interests primarily concern American Southwe... More

National Security Strategy Intern 

Expertise: Great Power Competition, Russian Foreign Policy, National Security and Space 

Tucker Hamilton is a senior at The George Washington University pursuing a B.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in security policy and a minor in Russian. His research interests include national security, grand strategy, Russian intelligence opera... More

U.S.-Russia Relations Intern

Expertise: U.S.-Russia relations; Latin American politics; Defense Policy; East Asian politics

Heberto Limas-Villers is an M.P.P candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, defense policy, and East Asia.

Heberto previous... More

National Security Strategy Intern

Expertise: U.S. Congress, U.S. Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, National Security Policy, and Middle East Policy 

Sarah Nishioka is a Junior at California State University Fullerton pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Comparative Politics. Her policy interests include U.S. Foreign Policy, United Nations (U.N.) relations, diplomac... More