Ms. Lute has over thirty years of military and senior executive experience in the United States government and at the heart of efforts to prevent and resolve international crises. Ms. Lute served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, responsible for support to peacekeeping operations. In this capacity, Ms. Lute managed operational support for the second-largest deployed military presence in the world. At the United Nations, Ms. Lute led rapid-response support to a wide variety of operations and crises in some of the most remote, austere, and dangerous environments in the world. She also effectively directed the growth of United Nations Peacekeeping support from a $1.8 billion to nearly $8 billion operation. Most recently, Ms. Lute led the United Nations initiative designed to coordinate efforts to build sustainable peace in countries emerging from violent conflict. Ms. Lute had a distinguished career in the United States Army, including service in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Ms. Lute also has a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University.