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Morgan Ortagus has two decades of experience in global affairs, diplomacy, defense and international finance. She served as the Spokesperson for the Department of State during the Trump Administration from 2019 to 2021.

Ortagus is the founder of POLARIS National Security, a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate congressional candidates and the public about the need for strong national security policies that keep Americans safe. She is the host of"The Morgan Ortagus Show" on SiriusXM, a weekly Sunday show dedicated to American foreign policy and national security. She regularly appears on Fox News Channel and other media outlets.

At the State Department, Ortagus worked closely with the White House on the historic Abraham Accords that brought the first-ever peace deals between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. Traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to more than 50 countries, Ortagus coordinated messaging campaigns and responses to sensitive and high-profile foreign policy actions, from hostage negotiations to the U.S. campaign against Chinese telecom Huawei Technologies' 5G expansion in the West.

Ortagus holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. and a Master of Arts in Government and MBA from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. She and her husband, Jonathan Weinberger, have one daughter, Adina, born in 2020, and live in Nashville, Tenn.

She converted to Judaism after exploring the religion while living in Baghdad. Ortagus' expertise in foreign affairs make this a timely and insightful discussion to have against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas War and current unrest in the Middle East.

The Admiral James W. Nance Foreign Policy Lecture Series is named in honor of Admiral James "Bud" Nance, a lifelong friend and professional associate of Senator Jesse Helms. We are grateful for the support from
The John William Pope Foundation for this lecture series.