Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is a prominent American think tank focused on U.S. foreign policy and international relations, founded in 1921. Its membership, which exceeds 5,000 individuals as of January 2025, includes influential figures from government, business, academia, media, and nonprofits. Membership is invitation-only, restricted to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have applied for citizenship, and is divided into Life Membership (for seasoned professionals) and Term Membership (for those aged 30–36 for a five-year period). Below is a compiled list of notable CFR members and alumni, drawn from available sources, including Wikipedia, CFR’s official website, and related reports. Due to the extensive membership and limited public disclosure of full rosters, this list highlights prominent individuals and is not exhaustive.

Political and Government Figures Madeleine Albright (Director Emerita): U.S. Secretary of State (1997–2001), U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1993–1997).

Elliott Abrams: Lawyer, former State Department official under multiple administrations.

Lamar Alexander: Former Governor of Tennessee, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of Education.

Antony Blinken: U.S. Secretary of State (2021–present) under President Biden.

William Burns: CIA Director (2021–present), former Deputy Secretary of State.

Cyrus Vance: U.S. Secretary of State (1977–1980) under President Carter.

Allen Dulles, CIA director, 1953-1961

William F. Buckley, CIA agent, publisher of National Review

Robert R. Bowie, CIA agent

Donald Gregg, CIA agent and VP George H.W. Bush National Security Advisor

Deane R. Hinton, CIA agent

Katharine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post

Edward Martin, OSS deputy chief of staff and US ambassador to Argentina from 1964-68

Henry Sturgis Morgan, OSS officer and co founder of Morgan Stanley

Jacob Beam, OSS officer and US ambassador to USSR 1969-1973

Lyman Lemnitzer, General and NATO commander 1963-1969.

Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State 1949-1953

David M. Kennedy, US Secretary of Treasury and Michele Sindona's business partner

Henry Kissinger: U.S. Secretary of State (1973–1977), National Security Advisor (1969–1975), published in Foreign Affairs.

Zbigniew Brzezinski: National Security Advisor (1977–1981) under President Carter.

George H.W. Bush: U.S. President (1989–1993), received CFR’s In Pursuit of Peace Award.

Richard Nixon: U.S. President (1969–1974), CFR member before presidency.

Alejandro Mayorkas: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (2021–present) under Biden.

Jake Sullivan: National Security Advisor (2021–present) under Biden.

Avril Haines: Director of National Intelligence (2021–present) under Biden.

Susan Rice: Former U.S. National Security Advisor (2013–2017), Domestic Policy Advisor (2021–2023).

Janet Yellen: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (2021–present) under Biden.

Mark Milley: Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2019–2023).

Robert C. “Bud” McFarlane: National Security Advisor (1983–1985) under President Reagan.

Thomas F. “Mack” McLarty III: White House Chief of Staff (1993–1994) under President Clinton.

William F. Martin: Deputy Secretary of Energy, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council under Reagan.

Barry McCaffrey: Retired U.S. Army General, “Drug Czar” (1996–2001) under Clinton.

Stan McChrystal: Retired U.S. Army General, JSOC Commander (2003–2008).

Cecilia Elena Rouse: Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (2021–2023) under Biden.

Dov S. Zakheim: Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller, 2001–2004) under George W. Bush.

Jeffrey D. Zients: “Covid Czar” under Biden.

Robert B. Zoellick: President of the World Bank (2007–2012).

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009), engages with CFR members.

Gina Kay Abercrombie-Winstanley: Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, U.S. State Department.

John Abizaid: U.S. Army General, former head of CENTCOM.

Chester Ward, Rear Admiral, United States as Judge Advocate General of the Navy (1956-1960)

William J Crowe, Admiral,

Thomas S. Gates, US Secretary of Defense 1959-61

Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense 1961-68 and president of the World Bank from 1968-1981.

Nelson Rockefeller, governor of NY

Lyndon B Johnson, 36th President of US

Hubert H Humphreys, VP 1965-1969

Business and Finance Leaders David Rubenstein: CFR Chairman, Co-founder of The Carlyle Group, Trilateral Commission member.

Robert Rubin: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1995–1999), former Goldman Sachs and Citigroup executive.

David McCormick: CEO of Bridgewater Associates, Aspen Strategy Group member.

Eric E. Schmidt: Former CEO of Google, Trilateral Commission member.

David Rockefeller: Former CFR Chairman, influential banker, founder of the David Rockefeller Studies Program, founder of Trilateral Commission

Maurice R. Greenberg: Honorary Vice Chairman, former CEO of AIG.

Peter G. Peterson: Chairman Emeritus, co-founder of Blackstone Group.

Blair W. Effron: Vice Chairman, Co-founder of Centerview Partners.

Jami Miscik: Vice Chairman, Senior Advisor at Lazard Geopolitical Advisory.

Michael Froman: CFR President, former U.S. Trade Representative (2013–2017).

Arthur F. Burns, Chairman of the Federal Reserve 1970-78

J. Peter Grace, CEO or W. R. Grace and chairman of Radio Free Europe

Media and Journalism Stephen J. Adler: Former Reuters Editor-in-Chief.

Cynthia McFadden: NBC News legal correspondent (2014–present), former ABC News correspondent (1994–2014).

David E. Sanger: New York Times White House and national security correspondent, Aspen Strategy Group member.

Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of U.S. News & World Report, former owner of New York Daily News, The Atlantic, and Fast Company.

Academia and Nonprofits Jeffrey D. Sachs: Economist, former Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Lancet COVID-19 Commission Chair.

Rajiv J. (Raj) Shah: President of the Rockefeller Foundation (2017–present), Trilateral Commission member.

Philip D. Zelikow: Executive Director and Chair of the 9/11 Commission, Aspen Strategy Group member.

Robert J. Zimmer: President of the University of Chicago (2006–2021).

James Zogby: Academic, political commentator, and pollster.

Morton I. Abramowitz: Diplomat, former President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Leslie H. Gelb: President Emeritus, former New York Times journalist.

Carolyn Kissane: Academic Director at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs, clinical professor.

Michelle Gavin: Senior Fellow at CFR, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (2025).

George Kennan: Diplomat, historian, and strategist, known for the “Long Telegram.”

Hans Morgenthau: Political scientist, pioneer of realist theory in international relations.

William Bundy: Former editor of Foreign Affairs, advisor in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.

Henry A. Grunwald, managing editor of Time magazine

Irving Kristol, founder of Encounter funded by the CIA

William Paley, chairman of CBS 1946-1983

Other Notable Figures David Altshuler: Geneticist, CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Stacey Abrams: Georgia politician, voting rights activist.

Michael F. Adams: Former President of the University of Georgia.

Peter Ackerman: Founder of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.

Herbert Agar: Writer, editor of The Louisville Courier-Journal.

Harold Agnew: Physicist, former Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Umberto Agnelli: Italian industrialist, former CEO of Fiat.

Kingman Brewster Jr, president of Yale 1963-1977

Elihu Root: Founding honorary president, former U.S. Secretary of State under Theodore Roosevelt.

John W. Davis: First elected CFR president, corporate lawyer.

Paul D. Cravath: Vice-president, co-founder of Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Edwin F. Gay: Secretary-treasurer, former dean of Harvard Business School.

John J. McCloy: Influential figure in post-WWII policy, associated with the War and Peace Studies.