Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical  engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of poems, Living from Here, appeared in 2018, followed by a novel, Crows Calling, in 2025. A second novel, set in Southern Oregon, is expected in 2027.

A leading advocate for global peace and security among governments, business, and civil society for three decades, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, supporting peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings. 

 A member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, McConnell served as a senior federal cybersecurity official from 2009-2013. Earlier, he built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice in the technology, business, and government sectors. He also led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, under the United Nations and the World Bank. 

McConnell holds degrees from Stanford and the University of Washington. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

Learn more about Bruce and his career here.