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Frances Townsend

[[University of San Diego]] {{small|([[Juris Doctor|JD]])}}"}},"i":0}}]}"> Frances M. " Fran " Fragos Townsend (nacida el 28 de diciembre de 1961) es una abogada y ejecutiva est...

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Frances M. " Fran " Fragos Townsend (nacida el 28 de diciembre de 1961) es una abogada y ejecutiva estadounidense que se desempeñó como Asesora de Seguridad Nacional del Presidente de los Estados Unidos, George W. Bush, de 2004 a 2007, y anteriormente fue vicepresidenta ejecutiva de asuntos corporativos, secretaria corporativa y directora de cumplimiento de Activision Blizzard , hasta septiembre de 2022, debido a la adquisición de Blizzard por parte de Microsoft por 75 mil millones de dólares. [ 1 ] Anteriormente se desempeñó como Asistente Adjunta del Presidente y Asesora Adjunta de Seguridad Nacional para la Lucha contra el Terrorismo. En 2008, Townsend se unió a CNN como colaboradora, [ 2 ] pero luego pasó a CBS donde es analista de seguridad nacional. Townsend fue presidenta del Proyecto Contra el Extremismo . [ 3 ]

Primeros años de vida, educación y familia

Frances Mary Fragos [ 4 ] nació el 28 de diciembre de 1961 en Mineola , Nueva York , [ 5 ] hija de John Fragos, un techador grecoamericano , y Dorothy Townsend, una gerente de oficina irlandesaamericana de una empresa constructora. [ 4 ] Criada en Wantagh , Long Island , [ 6 ] Townsend fue la primera de su familia en terminar la escuela secundaria . [ 7 ] A los 11 años, escribió cartas solicitando que se le permitiera ser monaguillo , primero a su sacerdote, luego al obispo, al cardenal y finalmente al Vaticano. Después de que sus solicitudes fueran rechazadas, su sacerdote la sorprendió intentando colarse en la misa con una túnica prestada. [ 8 ]

Townsend se graduó con honores de la American University en 1982, obteniendo una licenciatura en ciencias políticas y una licenciatura en psicología . [ 9 ] Recibió su doctorado en derecho de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de San Diego en 1984. [ 10 ]

Frances Fragos married lawyer John Michael Townsend on October 8, 1994, in an Episcopal ceremony at Manhattan's Church of the Incarnation.[4] As of 2006, they have two children, both sons.[7] With a self-professed "triple type-A" personality,[11] Townsend has been described as having a characteristic bluntness and a "sometimes salty, streetwise style"[12] that once led her coworkers to nickname her "The Hurricane".[6]

Career

Government

Townsend began her prosecutorial career in 1985, serving as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, New York.[11] She gained the support and mentorship of federal prosecutors Rudolph Giuliani and Louis Freeh.[6][12] In 1988, she was hired by Giuliani for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York where she worked on white-collar crime.[11] Townsend also ran the office's organized crime unit, where she conducted one-on-one interviews with members of the Gambino crime family.[6][8]

Townsend moved to the Justice Department in the early 1990s to work on international legal matters.[12] In 1991, she worked in the Office of the Attorney General to assist in establishing the newly created Office of International Programs, the predecessor to the Executive Office for National Security.[9] In December 1993, she joined the Criminal Division where she served as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Attorney General,[9] where she took part in establishing the Division's international training and rule of law programs.[9]

During the Clinton administration, Townsend served in a series of positions at the Justice Department, eventually working as intelligence policy counsel for Attorney General Janet Reno.[11] She served as Director of the Office of International Affairs in the Criminal Division from November 1995 until November 1997, when she was appointed Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General.[9] Townsend was appointed Counsel for Intelligence Policy in March 1998, heading the office of Intelligence Policy and Review, whose various functions included approving intelligence-gathering activities related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.[13][9] Townsend managed the Justice Department's Office of Intelligence Policy and Review until 2001. She was one of Reno's key advisers, acting as a "back channel" between the attorney general and FBI Special Agent John P. O'Neill, who was also her friend.[14] The incoming Bush administration did not opt to keep Townsend on. Instead, she served as Assistant Commandant for Intelligence for the United States Coast Guard. While she was on maternity leave during the September 11 attacks in 2001, Townsend assisted the Coast Guard in updating intelligence legislation to switch the branch's priority from drug smuggling to the vulnerability of U.S. ports.[14]

Despite concerns about Townsend's past as a Democratic appointee, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hired her for the National Security Council in Spring 2003 at the urging of counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke and Homeland Security Advisor John A. Gordon.[14] In December 2003, she coordinated government terrorism responses that led to the grounding of flights from Europe during the holiday season.[14] She was appointed Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism on May 28, 2004.[6][11] During her tenure, she oversaw an intelligence reorganization and conducted the first post-9/11 review of the White House's anti-terrorism campaign.[14] Townsend served as the public face of the Bush administration while it was under criticism for allegedly overreacting to dated intelligence[12] in its decision to raise terrorist threat levels during an election season.[14] She also inspected Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison as an envoy of President Bush. Townsend was tapped to implement broad changes in the intelligence community recommended by a presidential commission headed by former Senator Chuck Robb and U.S. District Judge Laurence Silberman.[14]

Townsend then served in the United States Department of Justice, including a stint as Counsel to the Attorney General for Intelligence Policy in the George W. Bush administration.[14][15] In May 2007, she was appointed "National Continuity Coordinator" under the auspices of National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 51.[16]

In 2014, Townsend became the President of the Counter Extremism Project, an organization devoted to fighting global extremism, including a program that studies the digital strategy of groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) in an effort to combat their success at spreading propaganda online.[17]

In November 2016, the UAE Ambassador to the United StatesYousef Al Otaiba recommended through real estate investor and Trump ally Thomas Barrack that Townsend become PresidentDonald Trump's Director of National Intelligence or Secretary of Homeland Security.[18][19] In May 2017, Townsend was on the short list for the Director of the FBI following James Comey's firing.[19][20]

Business

From 2010 to 2021, Townsend served as vice chairman, general counsel, and chief administrative officer at MacAndrews & Forbes.[21]

In March 2021, Townsend joined Activision Blizzard as executive vice president for corporate affairs, corporate secretary, and chief compliance officer to oversee government affairs, public policy, and communications.[22] While serving as executive vice president of Activision Blizzard, an open letter signed by over 2,000 employees called for Townsend "to stand by her word to step down as Executive Sponsor of the ABK Employee Women's Network" due to her criticized response to a California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit.[23] It was later revealed that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had written the letter and not Townsend.[24]

Afterwards, Townsend stated that Activision was working to remove employees guilty of bad behavior and had "exited" 20 employees, with another 20 facing disciplinary action.[25]

Boards

Townsend was previously appointed to the U.S. President's Intelligence Advisory Board.[21]

Townsend is a director on the boards of Chubb and Freeport McMoRan. She also currently serves on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the International Republican Institute.[21][26]

Es fideicomisaria del Atlantic Council , el Center for Strategic and International Studies , el Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum , el McCain Institute y la New York City Police Foundation . [ 21 ] [ 27 ]

En julio de 2022, Townsend ayudó a fundar un grupo de líderes empresariales y políticos estadounidenses que comparten el objetivo de colaborar de manera constructiva con China para mejorar las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y China. [ 28 ]

Referencias

  1. ↑ Needleman, Sarah (30 de septiembre de 2022). "Frances Townsend, jefa de cumplimiento de Activision Blizzard, renuncia" . WSJ . Noticias del WSJ . Consultado el 2 de octubre de 2022 .
  2. ↑ Will Thomas (12 de mayo de 2008). "Frances Townsend se une a CNN: la última funcionaria de la Casa Blanca en manipular a los medios" . The Huffington Post . Consultado el 13 de octubre de 2015 .
  3. ↑ "Veteranos del gobierno se enfrentarán a extremistas en el campo de batalla en línea" . Time . 22 de septiembre de 2014. Archivado del original el 6 de enero de 2022. Consultado el 18 de febrero de 2022 .
  4. 1 2 3 "Bodas; Frances Fragos y John Townsend" . The New York Times . 9 de octubre de 1994.
  5. ↑ Quién es quién entre los estudiantes de derecho estadounidenses . University Pub. Bureau. 1984. pág. 100. ISBN  9780043960004.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Knowlton, Brian (19 de noviembre de 2007). "La asesora de terrorismo de Bush, Frances Townsend, renuncia" . The New York Times .
  7. 1 2 Knufken, Kelly (2006). "Townsend: La chica dura" (PDF) . Revista USD (Verano)). San Diego, CA: Universidad de San Diego: 25.
  8. 1 2 Waller, Douglas (3 de septiembre de 2006). "El Consigliere del Terror" . Time . Archivado del original el 13 de junio de 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sra. Frances Fragos Townsend: Asistente del Presidente para Seguridad Nacional y Contraterrorismo" . whitehouse.gov . Archivado del original el 28 de agosto de 2009, vía Archivos Nacionales .
  10. ↑Hamblin, Abby (November 28, 2016). "Meet the USD law school grad who might be homeland security secretary". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  11. 12345Cook, David (September 26, 2006). "Frances Townsend". Christian Science Monitor.
  12. 1234Johnston, David (August 6, 2004). "Threats and Responses: The Security Adviser; A Bush Aide (and a Mother) Emerges as a Major Player in the Antiterror Campaign". The New York Times.
  13. ↑Ragavan, Chitra (December 6, 2004). "A skillful survivor". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on July 2, 2005.
  14. 12345678Glasser, Susan B.; Baker, Peter (August 27, 2005). "An Outsider's Quick Rise To Bush Terror Adviser". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  15. ↑"Thinking About Terrorism: Taking Stock Four Years After September 11th". Events. United States Institute of Peace (USIP). September 2005. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  16. ↑Bush, George W. (May 9, 2007). "National Security Presidential Directive 51". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved July 26, 2011– via National Archives.
  17. ↑Alex Altman (September 22, 2014). "Government Veterans to Take Fight to Extremists on Online Battleground". Time. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  18. ↑"Trump confidant was willing to share information with UAE: Leaked emails show a close working relationship between the Emiratis and Trump's circle while he was still a candidate". Al Jazeerah. June 29, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  19. 12Hearst, David (June 28, 2018). "Revealed: How Trump confidant was ready to share inside information with UAE: Emails will be of interest to Mueller investigation, which is looking at whether the UAE and Saudi funnelled payments to Trump's campaign". Middle East Eye. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  20. ↑"Townsend: Trump team approached me for FBI director: This week's Women Rule podcast dives into the experiences of three prominent women in the George W. Bush administration, including his homeland security adviser, who notes her candidacy for Comey's job is 'history making.'". Politico. May 24, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  21. 1234"Frances Fragos Townsend". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  22. ↑Needleman, Sarah E.; Nakrosis, Stephen (March 3, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Says Frances Townsend Will Oversee Compliance". WSJ. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  23. ↑Schreier, Jason (July 26, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Staff Sign Petition Supporting Labor Lawsuit". Time. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  24. ↑Plunkett, Luke (November 16, 2021). "Bobby Kotick Actually Wrote Fran Townsend's Deranged, Company-Wide Email". Kotaku. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  25. ↑"WSJ News Exclusive | Activision Blizzard Pushes Out Dozens of Employees Over Workplace Misconduct". The Wall Street Journal. January 17, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023.
  26. ↑CFR Staff (2015). "Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): Membership Roster". CFR.org. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  27. ↑"Board of Directors". Atlantic Council. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  28. ↑Greenberg, Maurice R. (July 7, 2022). "We Want to Rebuild U.S. Relations With China". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.

Further reading

  • Townsend, Fran (10 de octubre de 2007). "Opinión contraria: 'Métodos especiales' salvan vidas" . USA Today . Archivado del original el 19 de mayo de 2008.
  • Biografía de la Casa Blanca
  • Apariciones en C-SPAN
    • Entrevista de preguntas y respuestas de C-SPAN con Townsend, 10 de febrero de 2008.
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