President George W. Bush has announced the appointment of Kiron K. Skinner, Hoover research fellow, to the National Security Education Board. In addition, Skinner was appointed to the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel (CEP) by United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield.
The National Security Education Act, which was signed in 1991 and under which the board was formed, provides for the establishment of the National Security Education Program, the National Security Education Board, and the National Security Education Trust Fund. These programs are designed to lead in educating United States citizens to understand foreign cultures, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness, and enhance international cooperation and security.
The CEP provides independent advice and opinion from a select group of distinguished Americans to the chief of Naval Operations on a broad array of issues related to national seapower.
Skinner's other government service activities include membership on Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Defense Policy Board and observer status on the secretary's Defense Business Board. The W. Glenn Campbell research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Skinner is an assistant professor of history and political science at Carnegie Mellon University. She specializes in the study of American foreign policy, international relations theory, and international security. Skinner uses game theoretic lenses to structure her empirical research, which includes the use of several presidential archives. She became interested in the role of U.S. strategy in ending the cold war while conducting research for Secretary of State George P. Shultz's memoir and while assisting Condoleezza Rice with the research for her coauthored diplomatic history of German unification.
Along with Hoover fellows Annelise Anderson and Martin Anderson, Skinner coedited the New York Times best seller Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America (Free Press, 2001); Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan (Free Press, 2001); and Reagan in His Own Voice (Simon & Schuster, 2001). These books include selections from the 670 handwritten radio commentaries the president delivered between 1975 and 1979. The commentaries covered virtually every national policy issue of the day, prompting many Reagan detractors to reappraise his intellect. Reagan, a Life in Letters (Free Press, 2003), another book Skinner coedited with the Andersons, became a New York Times best seller. Skinner's writings have appeared in the National Interest, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
