The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has added four new staff members, with the organization noting the actions serve as a means of enhancing its overarching mission.
Peggy Knudson has been tapped as chief development officer; Richard Johnson as senior director of NTI’s International Fuel Cycle Strategies Program; and Jake Jordan and Hayley Severance as senior director and senior program officer, respectively, of Global Biological Policy and Programs.
NTI officials said Knudson brings more than 20 years of experience in fundraising and grantmaking to the organization and led the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States after the fall of the Berlin Wall and later served as executive director of Women in International Security.
Officials noted Johnson previously served as deputy lead coordinator for Iran nuclear implementation at the Department of State and has been involved deeply in both the Iran and North Korea nuclear issues.
Jordan was a chief scientist at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked as the senior science and technology advisor to the office director and deputy director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Biological Technologies Office.
Severance’s background includes previous work as a senior policy advisor in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, where she developed strategic policy guidance for the Cooperative Threat Reduction’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP).
“We are delighted to welcome these new members to the NTI team,” NTI President Joan Rohlfing said. “Peggy’s development background will be crucial to sustaining NTI’s efforts to build a safer world and the addition of Richard, Jake, and Hayley to our fuel cycle and global health security programs will be critical as we ramp up our work in these areas.”