Deborah Wituski, prominent intelligence practitioner, joins Johns Hopkins SAIS and Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy as Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Distinguished Professor of Practice

The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), in partnership with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), is pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Wituski, a renowned security and intelligence professional, as the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Distinguished Professor of Practice.

Wituski joins the faculty at SAIS and AGDA with over 25 years of experience leading intelligence analysis and operations in both national security and private sectors. Her appointment marks a significant addition to the partnership between SAIS and AGDA, furthering their shared efforts to educate the next generation of foreign policy decisionmakers. At SAIS, Wituski will be affiliated with the school’s Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs.

Most recently, Wituski served as Vice President of Global Engagement at Google & Alphabet (2023–2025). In this role, she led the Office of the President and Chief Investment Officer, navigating the complex intersection of emerging technology, global economic growth, and international policy. Previously, she was Google’s Vice President for Resilience and Risk Foresight, where she revolutionized the company’s enterprise business continuity and global intelligence programs. Concurrently, Wituski taught at SAIS, offering a course on intelligence analysis for policy and business. She is the recipient of SAIS’ 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award for an Adjunct Professor.

“Dr. Wituski’s career embodies the unique blend of academic rigor, policy relevance, and global impact that defines the SAIS approach,” said SAIS Dean James B. Steinberg. “Her deep roots in the U.S. intelligence community, combined with her leadership at the highest levels of one of the world’s leading technology companies, inform her research and teaching at the frontier of emerging technologies and national security. Our SAIS community and partnership with AGDA will benefit greatly from her expertise.”
 
“We are honored to welcome Deborah Wituski to the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, whose operational judgment, forged over decades in government intelligence and industry, will bring practical truth to our classrooms and translate her experience into teachable judgment for diplomats who must make decisions under pressure,” said AGDA Dean Eric Alter.

Prior to Google & Alphabet, Wituski dedicated 20 years of her career to the U.S. government. Her distinguished tenure included serving as chief of staff to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a role in which she advised on critical analytic and operational issues. She also served as the CIA’s deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, overseeing global programs and interagency collaboration. In addition, she held leadership positions in the National Security Branch of the FBI and in the National Counterterrorism Center.

“I am honored to join these two world-class academic institutions and work with accomplished colleagues to develop the next generation of public servants and private sector leaders at the nexus of technology and national security both in the United States and the United Arab Emirates,” Wituski said.

Wituski is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University, as well as an M.A. and B.A. from West Virginia University. In her new role, Wituski will leverage her extensive background to mentor the next generation of global leaders, focusing on the evolving landscape of diplomacy, technology, and national security.

In 2021, Johns Hopkins SAIS and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy announced a partnership to train the next generation of leaders in international relations, preparing them to navigate the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Central to this partnership is the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Distinguished Professor, a role that fosters academic exchange between these two distinguished institutions, leading the development of teaching, research, and programs in Washington, DC, and Abu Dhabi.

Johns Hopkins SAIS

For more than eight decades, students have come to the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) to learn from renowned faculty and distinguished policy practitioners, build their professional networks, and gain hands-on work experience.

The school was founded in 1943 by Paul H. Nitze and Christian A. Herter, statesmen who sought to prepare the next generation of leaders to meet the complex challenges the U.S. and the world would face following World War II. A distinguished faculty of scholars and policy experts developed an innovative curriculum that emphasized international politics, economics, and foreign languages. That program, combined with skills training and experiential learning, helped prepare students to make a difference in government, civil society, and the private sector. In 1955, SAIS established a campus in Bologna, Italy, and in 1986 the school initiated one of the first Western university programs in the People’s Republic of China, in Nanjing. 

Today, SAIS carries on this tradition, preparing students for the emerging challenges of the 21st century. Johns Hopkins SAIS’ living alumni number more than 24,000 graduates, a network of professionals working across the globe. From private-sector executives to entrepreneurs, leaders of nongovernmental organizations to ambassadors, and international media correspondents to energy consultants, SAIS alumni are defined by their innovative thinking, analytical approach, and policy expertise. They are leaders in their fields, lifelong students committed to the betterment of the world. 

For more information, visit: sais.jhu.edu or on X @SAISHopkins

Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA)

The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) is a globally recognized diplomatic center of excellence in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It delivers academic programs and high-impact executive training to develop future diplomats, as well as the government and business leaders of tomorrow. AGDA brings together an intellectual community from the world of diplomacy, academia and research. As a respected and evolving regional think tank, AGDA produces research that advances knowledge and capabilities relevant to the UAE’s foreign policy objectives. The Academy is a producer of leading resources, including indices and publications. 

For more information, visit: https://agda.ac.ae/

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