John P. Walters

President and CEO

National Security and Defense Domestic Policy Education Drug Policy
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At A Glance:

John P. Walters is president and chief executive officer of Hudson Institute.

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Assistant
Kate Hirzel
Special Assistant to the President and CEO

Biography

John P. Walters is president and chief executive officer of Hudson Institute.

From 2009 through 2020, Mr. Walters served as chief operating officer of Hudson, in which role he oversaw Hudson’s research staff and operations. He was appointed president and CEO in January 2021.

Mr. Walters also directs Hudson Institute Political Studies—an undergraduate summer fellowship program—and Hudson’s Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research. In addition, he was a member of the Independent Review Committee, hosted by Hudson Institute from 2019 to 2022 and established to advise the Attorney General and Congress on the implementation of criminal justice reform under the First Step Act.

From December 2001 to January 2009, Mr. Walters was director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and a cabinet member during the Bush administration. As the nation’s “drug czar,” Mr. Walters guided all aspects of federal drug policy and programs—supporting efforts that drove down teen drug use 25 percent, increased substance abuse treatment and screening in the healthcare system, and dramatically dropped the availability of cocaine and methamphetamine in the US.

From 1996 until 2001, Mr. Walters served as president of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a national association of charitable foundations and individual donors. His prior government service included work at ONDCP, at its founding in 1989 as chief of staff, and later as deputy director of supply reduction. He was assistant to the secretary and chief of staff at the US Department of Education during the Reagan administration. He also served in the Division of Education Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1982 to 1985.

Mr. Walters has taught political science at Michigan State University’s James Madison College and at Boston College. He holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MA from the University of Toronto.

Events
Back to John P. Walters
21
February 2023
Past Event
Keeping Ukraine on the Path to Victory
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Minister Oleksii Reznikov
Ambassador Oksana Markarova
Mamuka Mamulashvili
Nolan Peterson
Paul Massaro
Melinda Haring
LTG (ret.) Ben Hodges
Maria Tomak
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Peter Rough
Luke Coffey
A Ukrainian serviceman fires during a joint military training of armed forces, national guards, border guards and Security Service of Ukraine in Rivne region, near the border with Belarus, on February 11, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
21
February 2023
Past Event
Keeping Ukraine on the Path to Victory

Join Hudson Institute for a discussion on how the United States and its allies can continue their vital support for Ukraine with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova, Commander of the Georgian Legion Mamuka Mamulashvili, former Commanding General of US Army Europe Ben Hodges, and other experts.

A Ukrainian serviceman fires during a joint military training of armed forces, national guards, border guards and Security Service of Ukraine in Rivne region, near the border with Belarus, on February 11, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Minister Oleksii Reznikov
Ambassador Oksana Markarova
Mamuka Mamulashvili
Nolan Peterson
Paul Massaro
Melinda Haring
LTG (ret.) Ben Hodges
Maria Tomak
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Peter Rough
Luke Coffey
Learn More
31
January 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Will a Revived Deal Undermine American Interests?
Featured Speakers:
Mohammed Khalid Alyahya
Jonathan Schachter
Michael Doran
John P. Walters
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action meeting held to discuss the full implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and the return of the United States to the deal in Vienna, Austria, on April 15, 2021. (Getty Images)
31
January 2022
Past Event
Virtual Event | Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Will a Revived Deal Undermine American Interests?

This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Monday, January 31. Register for the event here.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action meeting held to discuss the full implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and the return of the United States to the deal in Vienna, Austria, on April 15, 2021. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Mohammed Khalid Alyahya
Jonathan Schachter
Michael Doran
John P. Walters
Learn More
13
December 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19
Featured Speakers:
Alina Chan
Matt Ridley
David Asher
John P. Walters
Laboratory technicians wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) working on samples to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus. (Getty Images)
13
December 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EST, Monday, December 13. Register for the event here.

Laboratory technicians wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) working on samples to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Alina Chan
Matt Ridley
David Asher
John P. Walters
Learn More
19
November 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Book Talk with Naomi Schaefer Riley: No Way to Treat a Child
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Naomi Schaefer Riley
19
November 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Book Talk with Naomi Schaefer Riley: No Way to Treat a Child

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 10:00 a.m. EDT, Friday, November 19. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Naomi Schaefer Riley
Learn More
09
November 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | What’s Next for AUKUS? A Discussion with Amb. Sinodinos
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos
John P. Walters
09
November 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | What’s Next for AUKUS? A Discussion with Amb. Sinodinos

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, November 9. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos
John P. Walters
Learn More
04
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Israel and the World: A Conversation with Amb. Yuval Rotem
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Yuval Rotem
John P. Walters
Michael Doran
04
October 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Israel and the World: A Conversation with Amb. Yuval Rotem

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Monday, October 4. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Yuval Rotem
John P. Walters
Michael Doran
Learn More
20
September 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Investigating COVID-19 and the China Coverup
Featured Speakers:
Kevin Brock
Diane Cutler
Tom DiNanno
David Asher
John P. Walters
20
September 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | Investigating COVID-19 and the China Coverup

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 9:45 a.m. EDT, Monday, September 20. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Kevin Brock
Diane Cutler
Tom DiNanno
David Asher
John P. Walters
Learn More
16
September 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | An Allied Response to Beijing’s COVID Obstructionism
Featured Speakers:
Senator James Paterson
Tom Tugendhat
David Asher
John P. Walters
16
September 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | An Allied Response to Beijing’s COVID Obstructionism

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Thursday, September 16. Register for the event here.

Featured Speakers:
Senator James Paterson
Tom Tugendhat
David Asher
John P. Walters
Learn More
25
June 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | A Conversation with Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu
Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu
John P. Walters
25
June 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | A Conversation with Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu

Please join Hudson Institute President and CEO John Walters and India’s Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu for a discussion on U.S.-India

Featured Speakers:
Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu
John P. Walters
Learn More
26
May 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | “History of the Future”: A Symposium Celebrating Max Singer
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Leon R. Kass
Christopher DeMuth
Lewis Libby
Nicholas Eberstadt
Dorothea Israel Wolfson
Saul Singer
26
May 2021
Past Event
Virtual Event | “History of the Future”: A Symposium Celebrating Max Singer

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 9:00 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 26. Register for the event here or via the register button.

Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Leon R. Kass
Christopher DeMuth
Lewis Libby
Nicholas Eberstadt
Dorothea Israel Wolfson
Saul Singer
Learn More
06
February 2019
Past Event
China’s Dystopian Experiment in Xinjiang
Featured Speakers:
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Dolkun Isa
David Shullman
Rian Thum
Eric Brown
Ambassador Kelley E. Currie
John P. Walters
(Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
06
February 2019
Past Event
China’s Dystopian Experiment in Xinjiang

Experts discuss Xinjiang

(Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
U.S. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Dolkun Isa
David Shullman
Rian Thum
Eric Brown
Ambassador Kelley E. Currie
John P. Walters
Learn More
13
December 2017
Past Event
The Future of Combating Terrorism and Countering the Use of WMD: A Conversation with Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke
Featured Speakers:
Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke
John P. Walters
Jim McDonnell
U.S. Navy conducts WMD drill in Hawaii, May 22, 2003 (United States Navy)
13
December 2017
Past Event
The Future of Combating Terrorism and Countering the Use of WMD: A Conversation with Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke

DHS Acting Secretary Elaine Duke, Jim McDonnell and John Walters on terrorism, WMD, and the direction of DHS

U.S. Navy conducts WMD drill in Hawaii, May 22, 2003 (United States Navy)
Featured Speakers:
Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke
John P. Walters
Jim McDonnell
Learn More
28
March 2017
Past Event
The Baltic States and the Trump Administration: A Conversation with the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Sven Mikser
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Linas Linkevičius
At the celebrations of the Independence Day in Lithuania, March 11, 2017. (Lithuania in NATO/Twitter)
28
March 2017
Past Event
The Baltic States and the Trump Administration: A Conversation with the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

The Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania discuss NATO, the EU, and the U.S.-Baltic relationship

At the celebrations of the Independence Day in Lithuania, March 11, 2017. (Lithuania in NATO/Twitter)
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Sven Mikser
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Linas Linkevičius
Learn More
09
December 2016
Past Event
The New Peace Agreement in Colombia
Featured Speakers:
Former President Álvaro Uribe
John P. Walters
Two armed soldiers belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) monitor the Berlin pass, near Florencia, in the southern Caqueta province of Colombia, March 7, 1998. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)
09
December 2016
Past Event
The New Peace Agreement in Colombia

Former president and current Sen. Álvaro Uribe of Colombia and John P. Walters on the Colombian peace process and the latest agreement with the FARC.

Two armed soldiers belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) monitor the Berlin pass, near Florencia, in the southern Caqueta province of Colombia, March 7, 1998. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Former President Álvaro Uribe
John P. Walters
Learn More
19
September 2016
Past Event
Handle with Fear: Fixing a Broken International Postal System
Featured Speakers:
Arthur Herman
James I. Campbell Jr.
John P. Walters
John Hudak
19
September 2016
Past Event
Handle with Fear: Fixing a Broken International Postal System

Arthur Herman, Jim Campbell, John Walters, and John Hudak discuss an upcoming Hudson report on the broken international postal package system.

Featured Speakers:
Arthur Herman
James I. Campbell Jr.
John P. Walters
John Hudak
Learn More
19
May 2016
Past Event
Remarks by Senator Tom Cotton on Crime and Justice in America
Featured Speakers:
Senator Tom Cotton
John P. Walters
19
May 2016
Past Event
Remarks by Senator Tom Cotton on Crime and Justice in America

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) speaks on the current trends in criminal justice policy.

Featured Speakers:
Senator Tom Cotton
John P. Walters
Learn More
21
May 2015
Past Event
King v. Burwell: What Next for Obamacare? A Discussion with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Tevi Troy
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21
May 2015
Past Event
King v. Burwell: What Next for Obamacare? A Discussion with Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.

Senator Bill Cassidy and Tevi Troy discuss the fate of the ACA in relation to King v. Burwell and alternative plans including the Patient Freedom Act.

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Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Tevi Troy
Learn More
12
September 2013
Past Event
Organization and Innovation in Air Traffic Control
Featured Speakers:
Robert W. Poole, Jr.
Christopher DeMuth
James Burnley
Gary Church
Kimberly Dennis
Gerald Dillingham
George Donohue
Chris Edwards
Jack Fearnsides
Craig Fuller
Richard Golaszewski
Tim Kane
Heather Krause
Ira Kuhn
Hanns Kuttner
Eli Lehrer
Lewis Libby
Paul Rinaldi
William Ris
John Strong
David Tell
Tevi Troy
Steve Van Beek
Marc Viggiano
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Margaret Whitehead
Clifford Winston
Default Event Image
12
September 2013
Past Event
Organization and Innovation in Air Traffic Control

On September 12, 2013, Hudson Institute's "Initiative on Future Innovation(Initiative on Future Innovation)":http://dev.hudson.org/policycenters/16-in

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Featured Speakers:
Robert W. Poole, Jr.
Christopher DeMuth
James Burnley
Gary Church
Kimberly Dennis
Gerald Dillingham
George Donohue
Chris Edwards
Jack Fearnsides
Craig Fuller
Richard Golaszewski
Tim Kane
Heather Krause
Ira Kuhn
Hanns Kuttner
Eli Lehrer
Lewis Libby
Paul Rinaldi
William Ris
John Strong
David Tell
Tevi Troy
Steve Van Beek
Marc Viggiano
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Margaret Whitehead
Clifford Winston
Learn More
08
April 2013
Past Event
Reclaiming Innovation in the Life Sciences: Reform FDA, Modernize its Culture
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Scott Gottlieb
Tevi Troy
Christopher DeMuth
Margaret Anderson
Joe Grogan
Brian Harvey
Tim Kane
Coleen Klasmeier
Hanns Kuttner
Dan Leonard
Lewis Libby
Jennifer Luray
Michael Mandel
Robert Popovian
David Tell
Marc Tessier-Lavigne
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Margaret Whitehead
Benjamin Zycher
Default Event Image
08
April 2013
Past Event
Reclaiming Innovation in the Life Sciences: Reform FDA, Modernize its Culture

On April 8, 2013, Hudson Institute’s "Initiative on Future Innovation(Intiative on Future Innovation)":http://dev.hudson.org/policycenters/16-initia

Default Event Image
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Scott Gottlieb
Tevi Troy
Christopher DeMuth
Margaret Anderson
Joe Grogan
Brian Harvey
Tim Kane
Coleen Klasmeier
Hanns Kuttner
Dan Leonard
Lewis Libby
Jennifer Luray
Michael Mandel
Robert Popovian
David Tell
Marc Tessier-Lavigne
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Margaret Whitehead
Benjamin Zycher
Learn More
16
November 2012
Past Event
Beyond Retrofitting: Innovation in Higher Education
Featured Speakers:
Frederick M. Hess
Andrew P. Kelly
Christopher DeMuth
Jonathan Cain
Kimberly O. Dennis
Tim Kane
Hanns Kuttner
Kenneth J. Polk
Andrew S. Rosen
Vickie Schray
Burck Smith
David Tell
Peter Thiel
Tevi Troy
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Ben Wildavsky
Margaret Whitehead
Default Event Image
16
November 2012
Past Event
Beyond Retrofitting: Innovation in Higher Education

On September 12, 2013, Hudson Institute’s "Initiative on Future Innovation(Initiative on Future Innovation)":http://dev.hudson.org/policycenters/16-

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Featured Speakers:
Frederick M. Hess
Andrew P. Kelly
Christopher DeMuth
Jonathan Cain
Kimberly O. Dennis
Tim Kane
Hanns Kuttner
Kenneth J. Polk
Andrew S. Rosen
Vickie Schray
Burck Smith
David Tell
Peter Thiel
Tevi Troy
John P. Walters
Kenneth R. Weinstein
Ben Wildavsky
Margaret Whitehead
Learn More
03
February 2011
Past Event
After the Domodedovo Attack: The State of Russian Democracy
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Andrei Piontkovsky
David Satter
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03
February 2011
Past Event
After the Domodedovo Attack: The State of Russian Democracy

The January suicide attack on Moscow’s largest airport, leaving 35 dead and over 180 injured, is the latest example of the unrest troubling Russia.

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Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Andrei Piontkovsky
David Satter
Learn More
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