Lisa Curtis

Lisa Curtis assumed the role of Acting President & CEO of RFE/RL on September 18, 2026, after previously serving as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Curtis was appointed to the RFE/RL Board of Directors in September 2022 and chaired it from July 2024 until her resignation on June 6, 2026. She was reappointed to the Board on September 18, 2026.

Curtis most recently was a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). A national security expert with 35 years of experience on U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific region, her career spans roles at the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, Congress, and the National Security Council (NSC), where she was Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for South and Central Asia during the first Trump administration. At the NSC, Curtis helped develop and implement the South Asia Strategy and was a significant contributor to the Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework. She also coordinated U.S. strategy towards Central Asia and orchestrated policies that improved U.S.-India diplomacy, defense, and trade. Curtis received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service in December 2020 in recognition of her work at the NSC.