Debra van Opstal is Senior VP for Policy and Programs at the Council on Competitiveness, where she is responsible for new program development and oversees work in the organization's national, regional, and global programs. She also directs the Council's Competitiveness and Security program. Ms. van Opstal joined the Council as VP in April 1996 to manage its ongoing work in innovation policy and national competitiveness. She has edited the twin volumes Going Global: The New Shape of American Innovation and The New Challenge to American Prosperity: Findings from the Innovation Index, and she coauthored, with Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School, the Council's 2001 Competitiveness Index. Prior to joining the Council, Ms. van Opstal was a Fellow in Science and Technology (S&T) and Deputy Director of the S&T program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Her publications include Global Innovation/National Challenges, Integrating Civilian and Military Technologies: An Agenda for Change, View from the Decisionmakers, Combating Terrorism: A Matter of Leverage, and Meeting the Mavericks. Ms. van Opstal currently chairs the judging panel for the Gerald R. Ford national security journalism award. She holds a bachelor's degree from Pitzer College and a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.