Mandy Smithberger
Former Director of the Center for Defense Information
PGP Fingerprint
F117 21CB 3DC2 28ED 001A 4480 4AD5 68A2 AC2E AEA0
Areas of Expertise
National security, Pentagon reform, revolving door
Mandy Smithberger rejoined POGO as the director of the Center for Defense Information in December 2014. Previously she was a national security policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) There, she worked on passing key provisions of the Military Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act into law, which expands protections by increasing the level of Inspector General review for complaints, requiring timely action on findings of reprisal, and increasing the time whistleblowers have to report reprisals. Previously an investigator with POGO, she was part of a team that received the Society of Professional Journalists' Sunshine Award for contributions in the area of open government.
Mandy is an expert on national security, Pentagon reform and the Defense industry revolving door. She has appeared recently on CNN, Fox News and NPR, and she’s been cited by various outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Reuters, Politico, and Foreign Policy.
Mandy received her B.A. in government from Smith College and her Masters in Strategic Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. She also served as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency and U.S. Central Command.
