Kirsten Fontenrose, a national security strategist with over two decades of experience in the US Government, currently serves as Strategic Advisor to Systems Planning and Analysis, operating across Defense, Intelligence, and Homeland Security markets. From 2022-2025 Ms. Fontenrose was President of Red Six Solutions, a technical advisory firm specializing in countering unmanned threats. As part of the senior leadership team, she helped position Red Six for acquisition in 2025.

In 2018, Ms. Fontenrose served as Senior Director for Gulf Affairs at the National Security Council (White House), where she led development of U.S. policy toward the GCC states, Yemen, Egypt, and Jordan. Her interagency experience includes the State Department, Defense Department and other US entities.Ms. Fontenrose’s career also encompasses roles in the private and non-profit sectors, including as Director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, where she is now a Nonresident Senior Fellow.

Her academic credentials include a BA from the College of William and Mary, an MA in Middle East Studies from Indiana University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School’s General Management Program. Ms. Fontenrose is a prominent voice on major media outlets such as Bloomberg, CNN, the BBC, and Al Jazeera, and is quoted in publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Economist.