Brett Holmgren

Brett Holmgren most recently served as the acting Director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) from July 2024 to January 2025. As the head of NCTC, Mr. Holmgren was the President’s principal counterterrorism advisor and led the nation’s efforts to integrate, analyze and share information to protect the United States from terrorist attacks.

From 2021 to 2024, Mr. Holmgren was the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. In this role, Mr. Holmgren was the Secretary of State’s principal intelligence advisor and chief executive of the bureau. Before returning to public service, Mr. Holmgren was Vice President and acting Chief Technology Risk Officer at Capital One Financial from 2017 to 2020, where he led the company’s independent technology and cyber risk management function.

Previously, Mr. Holmgren served for 14 years in leadership positions in the Intelligence Community, at the White House, and the Department of Defense, including as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, Senior Policy Advisor to the Homeland Security Advisor, NSC Director for Counterterrorism, and Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He began his career as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency before joining the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Mr. Holmgren is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and the CIA Hostile Action Service Medal. He earned 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 also holds industry certifications in Information Security Systems (CISSP) and Governance, Risk and Compliance (CGRC).