Global Decisions is the signature lecture series of Benson-Bertsch CITS. Past speakers have included current and former government officials, industry leaders, journalists, practitioners, and scholars. Global Decisions lectures are free and open to the public.
2026–2027 Lecture Series
Eric Brown Sept 16, 2026
Senior Director of Research, Robert M. Gates Global Policy Center, and Co-Director, Robert M. Gates Initiative in American Statecraft, William & Mary
Brown spent two decades as a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, leading research on China, India, the Middle East, and alternative geopolitical futures. He has conducted field research across Eurasia and Africa on security, development, and diplomacy. At William & Mary, he now helps lead the Gates Initiative in American Statecraft, building research and teaching on the practice of American statecraft.
Kevin Kurland Oct 28, 2026
Senior Technical Expert, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Economics Program and Scholl Chair in International Business, and Senior Advisor, Beacon Global Strategies
Kurland served nearly three decades at the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, rising to Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement. His portfolio spanned export-control regulation, enforcement, and strategic trade and technology security policy.
Sharon Weinberger Jan 20, 2027
Editor-in-Chief, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Weinberger has covered the intersection of science, technology, and national security for more than two decades, most recently as National Security and Foreign Policy Editor of The Wall Street Journal, and now serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. She is the author of Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War and The Imagineers of War.
Kate Germano Mar 17, 2027
Founder & Principal, Cassandra-Helenus Partners, LLC
Germano retired from the United States Marine Corps after 20 years of service at the rank of Lt. Col. She is a nationally-prominent voice on the treatment of women in the military and the workplace. She is the author of Fight Like a Girl: The Truth Behind How Female Marines Are Trained. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Time Magazine, among other outlets. She has also been featured on NPR, C-SPAN, and PBS NewsHour.
