Mission Imperative

Dmitri Alperovitch is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, national bestselling author of “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century,” founder of the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies and Co-Founder and former CTO of CrowdStrike Inc., one of the world's largest cybersecurity firms. A renowned thought leader on geopolitics, great power competition and cybersecurity strategy, technology visionary and business executive, Alperovitch has served as special advisor to the Department of Defense and currently serves on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Advisory Council and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's Cyber Safety Review Board. His writings on geopolitics, foreign policy and cybersecurity issues have appeared in major news outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Economist and Foreign Affairs, and he is a regular national security contributor to national and international online and television news programs. Alperovitch is also an active angel investor and board member of multiple high-growth technology companies. He has been named as one of Fortune Magazine's “40 Under 40” most influential young people in business, and Politico Magazine has featured Alperovitch as one of “Politico 50” influential thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics. Alperovitch was also named a "D.C. Tech Titan" and one of the 500 most influential people in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He is the host and creator of Silverado's popular "Geopolitics Decanted" podcast, dedicated to expert analysis of the most pressing national security and geopolitical challenges of our time. In 2023, DHS presented Alperovitch with the Outstanding Americans by Choice recognition for his civic and professional contributions as a naturalized U.S. citizen, the highest recognition of its type that the Department can bestow.

Debra Delay is the Chief Operating Officer at the Silverado Policy Accelerator. Ms. Delay is an international business and trade expert with 25 years of professional experience spanning the private and public sectors. Immediately prior to joining Silverado, she served as Director of the Steel and Aluminum Section 232 exclusions program at the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. During her 17+ year federal government career at ITA, she also served as Director of Strategic Planning, Director of Customer Experience; and Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director General of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service. Earlier in her career, Ms. Delay worked in the Boston, MA office of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, advising small and medium sized companies on exporting. She also worked in sales operations and marketing roles at several private sector firms prior to joining government service. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish Literature from Smith College and holds a master’s degree in International Business and Trade from the Fletcher School of Tufts University.

Mahnaz Khan is the Vice President of Policy for Critical Supply Chains. Ms. Khan has more than 15 years of experience developing international trade strategies and advising on the economic and legal impacts of trade policy measures at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Prior to joining Silverado Policy Accelerator, she was the Director of South Asia at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where she restarted high-level bilateral trade discussions with South Asian countries, leading to the resolution of longstanding trade barriers for U.S. companies. While at the U.S. International Trade Commission, Ms. Khan spearheaded a number of impactful projects on environmental goods, digital trade, industry competitiveness, and trade preference programs. As a senior industry expert at the U.S. InternationalTrade Commission, she also authored or co-authored over 20 publications and spoke at international conferences on these trade topics. Ms. Khan started her career in the private sector, investigating securities fraud and insider trading at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority during the peak of the 2008-10 financial crisis. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and operations management from Boston University and holds a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Andy Knipe is Silverado Policy Accelerator’s Director of Research and Analysis. Mr. Knipe has more than a decade of experience working on issues related to international trade, economic development, and industry competitiveness. Prior to joining Silverado, Mr. Knipe was an international economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission, where he led economic analyses in trade remedy investigations on a wide variety of industries and products. He has authored or co-authored numerous reports and papers involving the solar industry, natural resources, steel products, mining and minerals, and more. Mr. Knipe also served as editor-in-chief and managing editor of the ITC’s Journal of International Commerce and Economics. Prior to the ITC, Mr. Knipe served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, where he worked on projects involving CSR practices, financial management, entrepreneurship, and fair trade certification. Mr. Knipe began his career as a political organizer and nonprofit director, where he managed fundraising and advocacy projects related to renewable energy, conservation, and human rights. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in global finance, trade, and economic integration from the University of Denver.

David Kelm is a Policy Analyst at Silverado who originally joined the team in the summer of 2023 as a participant in the Catherine Hinman Fellowship program. He holds undergraduate degrees in political science and technical English writing and is currently in his final year at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, pursuing a Master's in International Human Rights along with a certificate in global environmental change and adaptation. David has previously served as a research assistant at the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy. His areas of particular interest lie in the intersections of clean energy transition and human rights.

Paige Graham is a Research Analyst at Silverado. She joined us in the summer 2023 as a member of the inaugural Catherine Hinman Fellowship program. Ms. Graham was a student at the University of Georgia, where she completed her undergraduate studies in International Affairs and Spanish. She participated in a 4+1 program and finished her Masters of International Policy with a dual concentration in energy security and non-proliferation. She has experience working as a research assistant at the Center for International Trade and Security and as a legislative fellow for her local Georgia House of Representatives member. 

Brooklyn Graham is an Catherine Hinman Memorial Fellowship alum and current intern with Silverado. She is a M.P.P Candidate at Penn State and President of the Public Policy Association.Brooklyn has presented research at the American Democracy Project conference. Her focus encompasses health, environment, and trade policies, dedicated to fostering sustainable and equitable practices through innovative research and policy analysis.