Brett Holmgren

Brett Holmgren serves as Vice President for Cybersecurity Risk Management at Capital One Financial, where he is responsible for identifying, assessing, controlling and managing cybersecurity risks. Before joining Capital One in 2017, Mr. Holmgren served for 14 years in various national security positions at the White House, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Intelligence Community, most recently as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs on the National Security Council (NSC) staff under President Obama.  Other positions on the NSC included Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Director for Counterterrorism. From 2013-14, Mr. Holmgren served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, where he advised on cybersecurity, counterterrorism, homeland defense, and intelligence matters.  Earlier in his career Mr. Holmgren was an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Mr. Holmgren is active in the Washington, D.C. community and serves on the board of One World Education, a nonprofit focused on improving the critical thinking and communication skills for middle and high school students. Mr. Holmgren holds a B.A. in political science and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a M.A. in global security studies, summa cum laude, from the Johns Hopkins University. He is a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations, a National Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project, and the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Director of National Intelligence Superior Service Award, the CIA Director’s Award, the CIA Hostile Action Service Award, and the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award.