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PODCAST

Smart Women, Smart Power

CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power is a speaker series on women in international business and global affairs. The biweekly podcast features leading women from the corporate, government, and national security worlds discussing top international issues.

government non-profit

All Episodes

24:14

A Fresh Perspective on National Security Policy

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/10/24

Dr. Kathleen McInnis joins Nina Easton, Co-CEO of SellersEaston Media and Co-Founder of Journey to Lead, for a thoughtful discussion reflecting on her time leading SWSP and shaping a research agenda that explores how the United States can apply fresh perspectives to its most pressing security challenges — from strategic competition with China to Russia’s war in Ukraine. We hope you'll stay tuned as we continue to bring you powerful, in-depth conversations with women leaders from around the

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48:17

Inside the CIA: Confronting China’s Digital Strategy

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/08/27

When Jennifer Ewbank was chosen to lead the CIA’s digital innovation team, she quickly made the strategic decision to center its digital mission around countering China’s comprehensive national digital strategy — a threat widely underestimated at the time within the U.S. government. On this episode, Host Kathleen McInnis digs into the “why” of this story and dives in deeper on Jennifer’s career in the CIA and State Department.

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23:25

Putin's Next Soldiers: Ukrainian Children

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/05/29

In this episode, host Kathleen McInnis speaks with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviichuk, for a detailed discussion on the devastating Russian war crimes being perpetrated against Ukrainian children.

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22:32

Why We Need Women in Special Forces

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/05/14

A newly released documentary, Guerrera, tells the stories of trailblazing women who served in U.S. Special Operations in Afghanistan. Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Jessica Yahn, executive producer and U.S. Special Operations veteran, for a conversation about the human-experience surrounding conflict – including stories of sacrifice, unity, and hope.

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25:55

Trust the Work, Trust Yourself

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/04/30

The Gates Foundation has become synonymous with leading global change on some of the world’s hardest issues – like advancing global health to expanding economic opportunity for the world’s most vulnerable. In this episode, host Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Gargee Ghosh, President of Global Policy & Advocacy at the Gates Foundation, for a conversation about her impactful career and her work driving progress in international development.

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44:00

Whole of Society Resilience Lessons from Russia-Ukraine

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/04/17

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of resiliency and using the total strength of society to ensure the survival of a state. As a part of the CSIS Conflict in Focus series, Dr. Kathleen McInnis sits down with Lieutenant Colonel Scott Murphy, visiting U.S. Marine Corps military fellow and Iryna Nykorak, Ukrainian Minister of Parliament, and founder of ArmWomenNow, about the importance of resiliency and how to prepare the entirety of society for conflict.

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17:16

The Weaponization of Data

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2025/01/31

On this episode, host Kathleen McInnis spoke with Pavlina Pavlova, a #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellow at New America and Cybercrime Expert at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Pavlina shares insights from her recent research on the weaponization of data, highlighting how data breaches and cyberattacks have a gendered dimension, especially throughout the healthcare system.

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28:22

To Infinity and Beyond: Open AI to the New Space Race

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/12/19

Before OpenAI was the household name it is today, the leading artificial intelligence company began as a non-profit organization with an uncertain future. In 2018, Ashley Pilipiszyn had a decision to make: take a risk and be an early employee of a start-up or focus on finishing her PhD. On this episode, Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula explore Ashley’s decision and delve into the growing space race between China and the United States.

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50:39

Countering China and Russia: The Hidden Advantages of...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/11/20

How can Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) be better utilized to accomplish U.S. strategic objectives? Recently, the Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative released their latest brief: Countering China and Russia: The Hidden Advantages of Women, Peace, and Security. To discuss the findings of the report, Dr. Kathleen McInnis was joined by Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Director, RAND Women, Peace, and Security Initiative, and Monica S. Herrera, Acting Director for International Humanitarian Policy and Senior

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27:50

Decoding the Pentagon Bureaucracy

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/11/06

In this episode, Dr. Kathleen McInnis is joined by Dr. Janine Davidson, who currently serves as president of Metropolitan State University of Denver and the chair of the Defense Policy Board. The pair discusses Dr. Davidson’s years of navigating the bureaucracy within the Pentagon and the lessons she has taken with her to higher education.

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78:59

Building Comprehensive Approaches to Wicked Problems:...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/10/30

As a part of the tenth-anniversary celebration of Smart Women, Smart Power, Dr. Kathleen McInnis hosted a panel discussion that explored women’s leadership during Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and how women are leading the charge in both prosecuting the war and planning for peace.The panel featured Amb. Kelley Currie, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council and former Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues; Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, Director, RAND Women, Peace, and

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38:31

Pentagon Priorities Amid Polycrises with Deputy...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/10/23

On October 15, Smart Women, Smart Power celebrated its tenth anniversary! The celebration kicked off with a discussion with HON Kathleen H. Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense, who sat down with Beverly Kirk, Director of Washington Programs at Syracuse University. The pair discussed her approach to the world’s simultaneous challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine crisis and China - plus she takes a lot of questions from the audience.

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26:01

The State of Election Security in 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/10/21

Suzanne Spaulding, Director of the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project, joins a special crossover episode with the CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power podcast to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

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23:15

A Conversation with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/09/23

Dr. Kathleen McInnis sat down with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for a conversation on her new memoir, where she reflects on her time in Congress. Additionally, the pair discusses the current and future U.S. landscape, including what the U.S. should be doing to counter China’s aggressive authoritarian expansionism and more.

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32:06

Solving the World’s Hardest Problems with Mellody...

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/08/28

Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments — created Ariel Alternatives, the first private equity subsidiary of the 40-year-old investment firm, alongside its current CEO Les Brun. On this Smart Women, Smart Power episode, Mellody joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis for a discussion on how she strives to close the racial wealth gap and create a better public understanding of financial literacy.This episode is made possible through general support to Smart Women, Smart Power.

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48:08

Secrets and Sacrifices: CIA, Benghazi, and Motherhood

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/08/21

After 25 years working for the CIA, the Honorable Sue Gordon has served the United States across administrations. She joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis and Lauren Bedula, the Managing Director at Beacon Global Strategies, for a conversation on how she balanced it all as a mother of two—plus, she’ll get into her time in the CIA during the 2012 Benghazi attacks – where the realization came that secrets just aren’t what they used to be.

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20:01

In a World of Inequalities, Does Democracy Matter?

Smart Women, Smart Power ·

2024/03/27

On this episode of Smart Women, Smart Power, Dr. Helene Gayle, President of Spelman College and CSIS Trustee, joins Dr. Kathleen McInnis for a discussion on her approach to leadership after years in government, the nonprofit space, and the private sector, including CARE, the CDC, and USAID. Dr. Gayle is no stranger to leading during a crisis, and at the heart of her decisions is the notion that people are policy.Additionally, she discussed her decision to brand the international humanitarian

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17 results

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