Dr. Yleem D.S. Poblete brings decades of experience in U.S. national security and foreign policy. She most recently served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance, where she was the lead Presidential appointee for the United States on arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament treaties and agreements. She was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

During her tenure at the Department of State, Dr. Poblete engineered the landmark legal case detailing the Russian Federation’s systematic violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and subsequently orchestrated the strategic U.S. withdrawal. She also secured historic non-compliance determinations against Iran and Burma under the Chemical Weapons Convention, spearheaded efforts to ban Novichok agents following the Skripal poisoning attributed to Russia, expanded missile-defense partnerships, instituted Space Security Dialogues with U.S. allies and partners, and directed arms-control verification inspections under the Antarctic Treaty.

Prior to joining the Department of State, Dr. Poblete spent more than 20 years on Capitol Hill, directing oversight of U.S. overseas operations and developing legislation addressing national-security and foreign-policy challenges. She ultimately served as Staff Director and Chief of Staff of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Earlier in her Washington career, she served in the Office of the Counsel to the President at the White House.

Dr. Poblete is co-founder and principal of a strategic advisory firm, provides expert testimony in national-security-related cases, has testified before Congress, and has been published in U.S. and foreign publications. She holds a Ph.D. with dual regional concentrations in the Middle East and Western Hemisphere, dual master’s degrees in International Relations and Communications, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations.