Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Fellow, National Security Institute, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Vince Vitkowsky chaired the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s International and National Security Law and Policy Practice Group for over a decade. He is also a Fellow at the National Security Institute of George Mason University Law School. Vince spent 45 years in private practice, primarily in AmLaw 100/200 firms and their spin-offs. His practice included domestic and international commercial arbitration and litigation, as well as cyber risks and liabilities. Vince's current focus is on national security policy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism. He has often written and spoken on national security and other public policy issues. Among other affiliations, Vince has been an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Law and Counterterrorism of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association, and Co-Chair of the Committee on Interventions and Trial Observations of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. He received his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Cornell Law School.
Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin
John Yoo is the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. He is also the Thomas Smith Senior Research Fellow, Civitas Institute, at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
His most recent book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Supreme Court, co-authored with Robert Delahunty, was published in 2023. Professor Yoo’s other books include Defender-in-Chief: Trump’s Fight for Presidential Power; Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War; Point of Attack: Preventive War, International Law, and Global Welfare; and Crisis and Command: A History of Executive Power from George Washington to George Bush.
He is a co-author of volumes 1 and 2 of R. Rossum, G. Tarr, V. Munoz & J. Yoo American Constitution Law (Routledge, 2026), and a co-editor of the eight-volume series on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, We Hold These Truths, with Yuval Levin and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute.
Professor Yoo has published more than 100 articles in academic journals on subjects including national security, constitutional law, international law, and the Supreme Court. He also regularly contributes to the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and National Review, among others.
Professor Yoo has served in all three branches of government. He was an official in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked on national security and terrorism issues after the 9/11 attacks. He served as general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has been a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and federal appeals Judge Laurence Silberman. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership, Seoul National University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Keio University, Trento University, the University of Chicago, and the Free University of Amsterdam.
Professor Yoo supervises the Public Law and Policy Program and the California Constitution Center. He also serves on the boards of Founding Forward, the Washington Legal Foundation, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Ulysses Grant Institute, the Federalist Society’s Separation of Powers and Federalism Division, the Universidad Cientifica del Sur Law School, and the Asia-Pacific Law Institute at Seoul National University. He is a winner of the Federalist Society’s Paul Bator award and the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Originalism Lectureship.
Professor Yoo graduated from Yale Law School and summa cum laude from Harvard College.
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Gates Corporation
Matthew R. A. Heiman joined the Company in May 2026 and has served as the Company’s Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since June 2026. As Chief Legal Officer, Mr. Heiman is responsible for all legal functions for Gates, including securities and corporate governance, M&A, litigation, commercial, regulatory, compliance, patents and trademarks, real estate, employment and labor, sustainability and environmental matters. Prior to joining Gates, Mr. Heiman held senior legal leadership roles at Waystar, where he served as Chief Legal & Administrative Officer from 2023 to 2025 and as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from 2020 to 2023. Prior to that, he was with Johnson Controls, where he served as Vice President, Corporate Secretary, and Associate General Counsel. Mr. Heiman has been a Senior Fellow for the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law since 2018.
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
BG (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel is a senior fellow at FDD and a visiting professor at the Technion Aerospace Engineering Faculty. Nagel was a career Israeli civil servant official (IDF, Defense Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office) for over 40 years.
From January 2016 to May 2017, Jacob served as the head of Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor (acting). He led the negotiations and signed the agreement for 38 billion dollar military aid to Israel from 2018 to 2027.
From May 2011 to December 2015, Jacob headed the Strategic and Defense Policy Directorate at Israel’s NSC, where he led the Israeli experts team working with the countries that negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
From April 1996 to April 2011, Jacob held various positions at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, Directorate of Defense Research and Development, including the head of military R&D (acting), and Directorate’s Scientific Deputy, he headed the so-called “Nagel Committee,” which was responsible for Israel’s decision to develop Iron Dome as the nation’s short-range defense system.
From October 1979 to April 1996, Jacob served in several positions at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in the elite Israel SIGINT National Unit (known as Unit 8200).
Senior Fellow, George Mason University National Security Institute
Bryan Smith is a Senior Fellow at the George Mason University National Security Institute.
Senior Fellow, CNA
Dov Zakheim is an expert in defense strategy, programs and budgets, defense acquisition and contracting, defense-industrial collaboration, inter-agency process, Iraq, missile defense, and naval strategy, policy and organization. His research and analysis, as well as policymaking responsibilities, span the gamut of defense planning, programming and budgeting issues, wartime contracting and acquisition, and major developments in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and East and Southeast Asia. He is also an Executive Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations.
Previously, Zakheim was Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led the firm's support of U.S. Combatant Commanders worldwide. He also served as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense, coordinator of DOD's civilian programs in Afghanistan, and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Planning and Resources in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy). He is a member of the boards of several institutions, including the Atlantic Council, the Center for the National Interest, the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Defense Business Board of the DOD.
Zakheim has a D.Phil. in Economics and Politics from St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford and a B.A. in Government from Columbia University. He speaks French and Hebrew.
Founder and CEO, Lexpat Global Services
Adam Pearlman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lexpat Global Services. He is a National Security Law expert and a proven senior leader with experience across the U.S. Departments of Justice, Defense, and State, in the White House, and with the U.S. Federal Judiciary.
Before founding Lexpat, Mr. Pearlman served as the Senior Advisor for Legal Policy in the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism. There, he counseled senior officials on matters covering the entire spectrum of programs and operations to counter terrorism and violent extremism. While participating in sensitive diplomatic engagements and helping to coordinate military operations, he also advised in the development of sanctions policy and initiatives to build legal and operational capacity in partner nations. Mr. Pearlman also managed the Bureau’s participation in federal litigation and led U.S. delegations in multilateral forums concerning criminal justice and rule of law. Separately, Mr. Pearlman supported the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) as the contracted Senior Justice and Rule of Law Advisor in Cabo Verde, Africa. There he was the chief implementer of a Foreign Assistance program that grew eight-fold during his tenure, building host nation capacity across the law enforcement, justice sector, rule of law, anti-money laundering, and corrections disciplines.
A former Associate Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Defense, Mr. Pearlman was agency counsel for complex civil and criminal national security matters in federal and military courts. He also led the Supreme Court and appellate unit of the team dedicated to litigating classified counterterrorism cases. His earlier service in the Department of Justice spanned four litigating divisions and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. His diverse experience included reviewing complex international transactions and mergers, and advising on immigration removal proceedings, human rights abuses, and terrorist financing investigations. Mr. Pearlman also served with distinction in Iraq as an early advisor to the Iraqi High Tribunal’s prosecution of Saddam Hussein. He was a law clerk for The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and during law school interned in the White House Counsel’s Office.
Mr. Pearlman is a Senior Fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, a member of the American Bar Association’s Advisory Committee on Law and National Security, and the Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. Intelligence Community Law Sourcebook. Previously, he has been a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, National Security Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, member of the ABA’s Africa Law Initiative Council and of the Center for Strategic & International Studies’ (CSIS) Project on Nuclear Issues, vice chairman of the ABA Section of International Law’s committees on national security, and aerospace and defense, and a liaison to the Board of Directors of the ABA’s Rule of Law Initiative. He has published articles in the Harvard National Security Journal, Stanford Law & Policy Review, Intelligence & National Security, The Foreign Service Journal, Lawfare, and many other outlets.
Mr. Pearlman earned his B.A., with honors, from UCLA, and his J.D., with honors, from The George Washington University Law School, where he was a member of the International Law Review. He also earned a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence degree from the National Intelligence University, where he was the inaugural recipient of the Kornblum Award for national security law and ethics. Mr. Pearlman is a Certified Financial Crime Specialist and holds certificates in international human rights law from the University of Oxford and in anti-corruption law from American University’s Washington College of Law. He is admitted to the State Bars of California and Virginia, as well as to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. He speaks and reads Portuguese at the intermediate level.
Partner, Wiley Rein LLP
Tom has over 15 years’ experience in private practice and public service at the federal and state levels representing clients in high-stakes appellate and regulatory litigation matters. Tom has argued appeals in the Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, D.C. and Federal Circuits, and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Prior to joining Wiley, Tom was the General Counsel at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he served as the agency’s chief legal officer and briefed dozens of appeals – personally arguing two – in the federal courts of appeals in constitutional and administrative law challenges to the FCC’s orders. Tom managed a team of over 70 attorneys and staff and provided consultation and advice on a wide range of practice areas relating to the FCC’s work, including administrative law, appellate and trial litigation, bankruptcy, ethics, fiscal law, fraud, labor and employment, and public records requests. He has spent his career advising clients on all stages of federal agency rulemaking, adjudication, and litigation, in fields ranging from communications to environmental law to securities to labor and employment. He frequently speaks and writes on legal issues and his articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, National Review, Forbes, and Newark Star-Ledger.
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, Gates Corporation
Matthew R. A. Heiman joined the Company in May 2026 and has served as the Company’s Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since June 2026. As Chief Legal Officer, Mr. Heiman is responsible for all legal functions for Gates, including securities and corporate governance, M&A, litigation, commercial, regulatory, compliance, patents and trademarks, real estate, employment and labor, sustainability and environmental matters. Prior to joining Gates, Mr. Heiman held senior legal leadership roles at Waystar, where he served as Chief Legal & Administrative Officer from 2023 to 2025 and as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from 2020 to 2023. Prior to that, he was with Johnson Controls, where he served as Vice President, Corporate Secretary, and Associate General Counsel. Mr. Heiman has been a Senior Fellow for the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law since 2018.
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
BG (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel is a senior fellow at FDD and a visiting professor at the Technion Aerospace Engineering Faculty. Nagel was a career Israeli civil servant official (IDF, Defense Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office) for over 40 years.
From January 2016 to May 2017, Jacob served as the head of Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor (acting). He led the negotiations and signed the agreement for 38 billion dollar military aid to Israel from 2018 to 2027.
From May 2011 to December 2015, Jacob headed the Strategic and Defense Policy Directorate at Israel’s NSC, where he led the Israeli experts team working with the countries that negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
From April 1996 to April 2011, Jacob held various positions at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, Directorate of Defense Research and Development, including the head of military R&D (acting), and Directorate’s Scientific Deputy, he headed the so-called “Nagel Committee,” which was responsible for Israel’s decision to develop Iron Dome as the nation’s short-range defense system.
From October 1979 to April 1996, Jacob served in several positions at the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in the elite Israel SIGINT National Unit (known as Unit 8200).
Senior Fellow, George Mason University National Security Institute
Bryan Smith is a Senior Fellow at the George Mason University National Security Institute.
Senior Fellow, CNA
Dov Zakheim is an expert in defense strategy, programs and budgets, defense acquisition and contracting, defense-industrial collaboration, inter-agency process, Iraq, missile defense, and naval strategy, policy and organization. His research and analysis, as well as policymaking responsibilities, span the gamut of defense planning, programming and budgeting issues, wartime contracting and acquisition, and major developments in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and East and Southeast Asia. He is also an Executive Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations.
Previously, Zakheim was Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led the firm's support of U.S. Combatant Commanders worldwide. He also served as Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Defense, coordinator of DOD's civilian programs in Afghanistan, and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Planning and Resources in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy). He is a member of the boards of several institutions, including the Atlantic Council, the Center for the National Interest, the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Defense Business Board of the DOD.
Zakheim has a D.Phil. in Economics and Politics from St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford and a B.A. in Government from Columbia University. He speaks French and Hebrew.
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