People

Bernard L. Schwartz is a private investor, a progressive public policy advocate, a philanthropist, and a retired industrialist. He is currently chairman and CEO of BLS Investments, LLC, a private investment firm founded in  006. In addition to his personal portfolio, Mr. Schwartz manages the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation which  ocuses on four major areas of support: think tanks and economic policy advocacy organizations that develop strategies to promote U.S. economic growth and job creation initiatives; educational institutions; medical  esearch centers; and major New York City-based cultural organizations. Mr. Schwartz is a life-long Democrat and an active supporter of the Democratic Party.

Prior to establishing BLS Investments in March 2006, Mr. Schwartz served for  4 years as chairman of the board and CEO of Loral Corporation (NYSE:LOR) and its successor, satellite  communications company Loral Space & Communications (NASDAQ:LORL), formed in 1996. Loral Corp, a Fortune 200 defense electronics firm, at one time employed as many as 38,000 employees at its 25 locations all in the U.S. At its height Loral attained annual revenues of nearly $7.5 billion and had a market value of $13 billion.

In addition, from 1989 to 2005, Mr. Schwartz formed and was chairman of the board of K&F Industries, a worldwide leader in the manufacture of wheels, brakes, and brake control systems for the aviation industry.  He also served until 2001 as chairman and CEO of Globalstar Telecommunications Limited, a low-Earth orbit global mobile satellite telecommunications network launched under his leadership in 1991.

Mr. Schwartz is often called upon to express his views or provide counsel on matters ranging from U.S. economic growth and competitiveness to job creation, investment in infrastructure, innovation, technology, and research and development. At several institutions, he has initiated programs that rigorously examine current U.S. economic policy and competitiveness, and that consistently challenge current orthodoxy to arrive at policy proposals that will further U.S. economic and technological preeminence and will create jobs. The policy proposals that emerge from these programs are broadly distributed to members of the administration and Congress, educators, researchers, the media, and the general public.

In this arena, Mr. Schwartz is chairman emeritus and sponsor of the Schwartz Initiative on American Economic Policy at Third Way, the nation’s leading centrist policy institution. He is chairman of The Rothkopf Group, a non-profit advisory and communications firm. He is also publisher of Democracy: a Journal of Ideas, a quarterly progressive publication that spurs debate on economic and foreign policy issues.  At The New School, a progressive urban university founded in 1919, Mr. Schwartz, a trustee, established a chair in economics and policy analysis, and formed and supports the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Development.  He is a member of the chairman’s circle at the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the Roosevelt Institute and Center for American Progress.

In the field of medical research, Mr. Schwartz has been a trustee for more than three decades of New York University’s Langone Medical Center.  Over the years he has underwritten numerous programs and fellowships and the formation of cutting-edge medical specialty centers – all of which bear the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation name.

Mr. Schwartz, a graduate of the City College of New York with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance also holds an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the college.  He is the author of JUST SAY YES: What I’ve Learned About Life, Luck, and the Pursuit of Opportunity, published in March 2014.

David Rothkopf is the CEO of TRG Media, host of the Deep State Radio podcast, and the author, most recently of Traitor: A History of Betraying America from Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump. The Rothkopf Group produces podcasts including Deep State Radio, National Security Magazine, custom programming for clients and it organizes live interactive web-based and live forums.

Rothkopf is a contributing columnist to The Daily Beast and a member of the Board of Contributors of USA Today.  He is the author of hundreds of articles on international, national security and political themes for publications that include the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, the Financial Times, the Daily Beast, Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs. He is also a regular commentator on broadcast media worldwide. His previous books include Great Questions of Tomorrow, National Insecurity: American Leadership in an Age of Fear, Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry Between Big Business and Government—and the Reckoning That Lies Ahead, Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making, and Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power. His most recent book is The Great Questions of Tomorrow.

Rothkopf has taught international affairs at Columbia University, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. He has served as a member of several boards and advisory boards including those associated with the U.S. Institute of Peace, IREX, the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, the Progressive Policy Institute, and the Center for the Study of the Presidency.

Previously, Rothkopf served as CEO and Editor of the FP Group, publishers of Foreign Policy Magazine, CEO of Garten Rothkopf and was the founder and CEO of Intellibridge Corporation, an open-source intelligence provider to government and private sector organizations. Prior to that he served as managing director of Kissinger Associates.

Rothkopf served as deputy undersecretary of commerce for international trade policy in the Clinton administration and played a central role in developing the administration’s groundbreaking Big Emerging Markets Initiative. Before government, Rothkopf was founder and CEO of International Media Partners and editor and publisher of the CEO Magazine and Emerging Markets newspaper. He also served as chairman of the CEO Institute. He is a graduate of Columbia College of Columbia University and attended the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Christopher Cotnoir is President of TRG Media.  He is responsible for building and growing successful media brands under the TRG Interactive Media umbrella.  The first of those businesses, Deep State Radio Network, went live in September 2018 and features members-only content and an e-Commerce platform.  The business was built upon the success of the Deep State Radio podcast.

Prior to joining TRG, Chris was the SVP, Operations and Chief Revenue Officer at Foreign Policy, where he was responsible for developing a digital strategy and building a sustainable business around content, events, advertising and eventually research. During the six years that he spent there, the business was transformed from one that primarily generated revenue from magazine subscriptions to a multi-platform, multi-media business that generated revenue from subscriptions, licensing and syndication, custom research and custom events and digital and print advertising.

Chris also spent thirteen years at the Financial Times where he held various senior level positions in marketing, operations, and circulation.  He ran FT’s print business in the United States from 2007 to 2011 and took on a new Digital Strategy position for the remainder of his time.

Chris lives in NJ with his wife and two children.  He is an avid sports fan and enjoys running and playing golf.

Riley Fessler is Podcast Producer and Coordinator of Content Production for the DSR Network and Co-Host of the DSR Daily Brief. Before joining DSR, Riley worked at the Congressional Office for International Leadership in Washington, DC and interned with the Carter Center. Riley Graduated from Miami University in 2020 with degrees in International Studies and Political Science. When not working, you can find Riley volunteering at the Smithsonian in DC.

Marc Polymeropoulos retired from the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service in 2019 after a 26 year career where he served in a variety of operational and leadership assignments in the Middle East as well as at CIA headquarters.  He is a MSNBC national security contributor, a non resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a member of the Cipher Brief expert cadre, and the author of “Clarity in Crisis:  Leadership Lessons from the CIA,” published by Harper Collins.

Heather Williams is the Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues at CSIS and an Associate Fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard Kennedy School. She previously worked at King’s College London and Chatham House. After a decade living in London, she now lives in Boston where the sports are better but the weather is worse.