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Sally Donnelly

Former Senior Advisor to Secretary of Defense

 
Sally Donnelly served as the Senior Advisor to Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis. She assisted the Secretary on a range of internal and external matters. Ms. Donnelly also coordinated strategic engagements with domestic and international groups and entities including think tanks, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations and policy analysts. 

Before joining the Secretary at the Pentagon on Jan. 21, 2017, Ms. Donnelly ran the Senate confirmation process for Mr. Mattis. 

Ms. Donnelly previously managed her own consulting company in Washington advising technology and corporate clients as well as non-governmental organizations on strategic positioning, communications and policy issues. 

In her prior government roles, Ms. Donnelly was the head of the Washington office for U.S. Central Command working for then-General Mattis.  Preceding that assignment, she was the special assistant to Admiral Mike Mullen, the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  

Ms. Donnelly also worked at Time magazine for 20 years.

Ms. Donnelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Hollins College and a Masters degree in Russian politics from London School of Economics. 

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