The Aspen Institute

Frances Fragos Townsend is the EVP of Corporate Affairs, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Activision Blizzard. Prior to that, she was Vice Chairman, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer at MacAndrews & Forbes, Inc. In her ten years there, she focused internally on financial, legal, and personnel issues, as well as international, compliance, and business development across MacAndrews’ portfolio companies. Before her tenure at MacAndrews, she was a corporate partner with the law firm of Baker Botts, LLP. From 2004 to 2008, Ms. Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and chaired the Homeland Security Council. She also served as Deputy National Security Advisor for Combatting Terrorism from May 2003 to May 2004. Ms. Townsend spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice under the administrations of President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush. She has received numerous awards for her public service accomplishments. Ms. Townsend is a director on the board of two public companies: Chubb and Freeport McMoRan, where she chairs or serves on: compliance, compensation, governance, corporate social responsibility, and executive committees. She previously served on the boards at Scientific Games, SciPlay, SIGA, and Western Union. Ms. Townsend also serves on multiple private company boards where she is Chairwoman of one and chairs all the compensation committees. Ms. Townsend is an on air senior national security analyst for CBS News and, before that, she was at CNN for seven years. Ms. Townsend previously served on the DNI’s Senior Advisory Group, the CIA External Advisory Board, and the U.S. President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Ms. Townsend is a trustee on the board of the Atlantic Council, CSIS, the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, the McCain Institute, and the New York City Police Foundation. She also serves on the board at the Council on Foreign Relations, on the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission, and the board of the International Republican Institute.