Anderson, Brooke D., 1964-

Brooke D. Anderson (born 1964) is a strategy and management consultant and a Visiting Professor at Montana State University. She was previously an American diplomat who served as a U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, as Chief of Staff and Counselor for the White House National Security Council, and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary for Political Affairs on the Iran Nuclear Negotiations. She has served as a trusted advisor to U.S. presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, members of Congress, presidential candidates, philanthropists and business leaders.

Anderson is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and spent a year studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, France. In 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in letters from Montana State University.

Anderson began her career in Washington politics by serving as Press Secretary in the office of Congressman Frank Guarini from 1991 to 1992. She then moved to the office of Congressman David Skaggs, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, Press Secretary, and Campaign Manager from 1992 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000, she served as Director of Public Affairs for the Department of Energy.

While at the National Security Council under President Bill Clinton from 2000 to 2001, Ms. Anderson was Senior Director for Communications and Special Assistant for National Security Affairs. Ms. Anderson has worked on congressional and presidential campaigns, including Senator John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential campaign. Anderson also worked for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit co-chaired by former Senator Sam Nunn and Ted Turner, which focuses on reducing global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

In 2008 and 2009, she was the Chief National Security Spokesperson and Policy Advisor for the Obama–Biden transition team.

In March 2009, she became Susan Rice's chief of staff at the UN, and in April 2010 she was promoted to become one of Rice's deputies and the U.S.'s alternate ambassador to the UN when Rice is absent. At the UN, she focused on issues involving UN peacekeeping and nuclear nonproliferation.

For a week in December 2010, Anderson served as the President of the United Nations Security Council while Rice was absent from the UN.

On Thursday, December 16, 2010, the White House Office of the Press Secretary announced that Anderson had been appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Chief of Staff and Counselor to the National Security Staff at the White House beginning on January 12, 2011. Ambassador Anderson served in this position until March 2012, dealing with challenges including nuclear weapons issues, the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan, and the political transition in Egypt. Upon her departure, President Barack Obama said of her, "I have been deeply appreciative of Brooke Anderson’s service dating back to 2007," and that Anderson had "been a close, trusted and valued advisor for many years."

On July 23, 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Ambassador Anderson as a member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board where she served until January 2017. She also served as a member of the Department of State's International Security Advisory Board from December 2014 to January 2017.