Hagar Hajjar Chemali

Hagar Hajjar Chemali is a former national security and public affairs official. From 2015-2016, Hagar was Spokesperson and Director of Communications for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations under President Obama and Ambassador Samantha Power. Prior to this position, she was Spokesperson for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Department of the Treasury where she handled all communications related to sanctions, counter illicit-finance, and enforcement.

From 2010-2012, Hagar was Director for Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council at the White House. Hagar also previously worked at the Treasury Department as a Senior Policy Advisor on Asia and Middle East Policy Advisor in the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, where she crafted the first counter-Hezbollah financing strategy.

Currently, Hagar co-hosts the Program on Extremism’s The Threat podcast with Jay Solomon. She is the Founder and CEO of strategic communications and foreign policy consultancy firm Greenwich Media Strategies. She is also the host and creator of Oh My World – an award-winning geopolitical show and educational series on YouTube. She is regularly featured on CNN, MSNOW, and Bloomberg, where she analyzes foreign policy and national security. She is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

Hagar has a Master of International Affairs from SIPA and a B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University’s Barnard College.