ADMIRAL DENNIS BLAIR, U.S. NAVY (RET.)
Former Director of National Intelligence & Former Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command
Admiral Dennis Blair is the first Knott Distinguished Visiting Professor of the Practice at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He serves as a member of the Energy Security Leadership Council and chairs the board of Securing America’s Future Energy. In addition, he serves on the boards of Freedom House, the National Bureau of Asian Research, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, No Labels, and chairs the Strategic Advisory Group of Lockheed Martin Space.
From 2014-18 Admiral Blair was the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA. From January 2009 to May 2010, as Director of National Intelligence, Admiral Blair led the sixteen national intelligence agencies. He was president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Defense Analyses from 2003-06.
Prior to retiring from the Navy in 2002 after a career of 34 years, Admiral Blair was the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Admiral Blair earned a master’s degree in history and languages from Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. He is the author of Military Engagement: Influencing Armed Forces Worldwide to Support Democratic Transitions. Three commissions he co-chaired have issued recent reports: A National Security Strategy for 5G; Oil Security 2025: U.S. National Security Policy in an Era of Domestic Oil Abundance, and The Report of the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property.