Brett McGurk served at the highest levels of American national security across four presidential administrations, most recently as Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs to President Biden, where he coordinated policy for the Middle East and North Africa. He earlier served as Special Presidential Envoy to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, where he led the global coalition against ISIS. Under President Obama, he also led secret talks with Iran to free several American hostages held in Iran's notorious Evin Prison, later receiving the James Foley Freedom Award for hostage diplomacy. He is currently a Global Affairs Analyst for CNN and a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center and the Atlantic Council. He earned a bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Connecticut, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, after which he clerked for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.