Maren Brooks is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism.

Maren brings more than 20 years of national security and organizational management experience to this role. She served under three Presidents in the National Security Council. From 2015 to 2017, Maren was the Senior Director of the White House Situation Room. Her other NSC experience includes serving as Senior Advisor for Strategic Management Analysis under the NSC Chief of Staff (spring 2015), as a Deputy Executive Secretary (2012 to 2014), and as the Director for Transnational Crime and Counterterrorism (2004 to 2006).

Maren began her career in the Department of State. Between 1997 and 2008, she served as a Program Officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, with short rotations to the Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. In 2008, Maren joined the National Counterterrorism Center where she led the Strategic Assessments Group in the Directorate for Strategic Operational Planning. Later, Maren served as Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

In 2018, Maren joined the Brunswick Group as a Director, providing strategic counsel to clients on crisis preparedness and response, change management and employee engagement. In October 2019, Maren joined the PenFed Foundation as the Chief Operating Officer. In July of 2021, she returned to the Department of State to serve as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources.

Maren is a native of North Carolina, currently residing in Alexandria, Virginia. She holds a BA in Political Science and History from UNC-Chapel Hill and a MA in International Affairs from American University.