Lochlin Partners Helps Fill Senior Position for Business Roundtable
May 20, 2026 – Lochlin Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Stefani Jones as senior director of policy at Business Roundtable (BRT). Ms. Jones is an accomplished technology policy leader with deep expertise at the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and national security. Her experience spans the White House, the private sector, and senior federal policy roles. She has extensive public and private sector experience on cybersecurity issues, including supply chain security, crisis response, and emerging technology policy. Prior to joining BRT, Ms. Jones served as director of cybersecurity programs at Aspen Digital, part of the Aspen Institute.
Before that, she served as senior policy advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where she led supply chain policy for the agency as a career civil servant. Ms. Jones has also worked at the White House, as a cybersecurity consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and at Microsoft, where she led state and local government communications efforts. She holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in political science from Duke University and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Business Roundtable is a Washington, D.C.-based association composed of chief executive officers from many of the largest companies in the United States. Founded in 1972, the organization focuses on public policy issues affecting the business community and regularly engages on topics including the economy, workforce development, trade, corporate governance, technology, and tax policy. Its member companies collectively employ millions of workers and represent a broad range of industries across the U.S. economy.
Lochlin Partners conducts searches for board and executive-level positions within government and corporate affairs, government contracting, technology and services, higher education, the public sector, financial services, and healthcare. The firm is led by managing partners Liza Wright, and Pat Friel. Each of the managing partners has been in the search business for 20 or more years and has been a partner in one of the four large international firms—and in most cases has run a major office or practice at those firms.
Ms. Wright has over 25 years of experience in the executive search industry. Prior to co-founding Lochlin Partners, she served at the highest levels of government, working at the White House as the assistant to the President and director of Presidential Personnel. As the senior personnel advisor to former President George W. Bush, she met with the President regularly to recommend individuals to fill critical presidential appointments, including Cabinet Secretaries, ambassadors and other key positions in cabinet-level departments and U.S. regulatory agencies.
Related: Lochlin Partners Assists the National Audubon Society with CDO Search
For more than 25 years, Mr. Friel has provided executive search and leadership advisory services to a broad range of clients. He works extensively with clients in government, financial services, technology and professional services organizations, trade and membership associations, and non-profits, helping these clients build world-class management teams. Mr. Friel provides particular expertise in recruiting senior executives in the areas of general management (CEOs and general managers), financial management (CFOs, controllers, tax and audit leadership) and business management functions including marketing, business development, legal and human resources.
Center for Strategic and International Studies Search
Lochlin Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of John Adams as the new CFO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. “John is an exceptional talent who brings deep financial expertise and strategic judgment to CSIS,” said CSIS president and CEO John Hamre. “With a record of innovative leadership and sound management, he is well positioned to help CSIS build on a period of strong growth and reinforce the foundation needed to scale our research and deepen our impact.”
Executive Search Continues Its Confident Climb As Transformation Takes Center Stage
The executive search industry entered 2026 from a position of strength. According to Hunt Scanlon, fee revenue at the 50 largest executive search firms in the U.S. / Americas – the global talent sector’s largest and most dominant region – jumped 11 percent last year, topping out at $6.69 billion. Seventy-five percent of search firms on the roster polled by Hunt Scanlon reported positive growth, with nearly half (24 firms), expanding by double digits. By every measure, it was a big year.
Leadership demand across private equity and venture capital, healthcare services and healthcare tech, financial services, technology, AI, and professional services swelled last year. Legal recruiting, particularly the business of finding elite law firm partners, accelerated as strategic expansions across the sector exposed acute high-impact partner shortages.
To read the full issue of Hunt Scanlon Media’s 2026 Rankings Edition of Executive Search Review, click here!
Mr. Adams brings to CSIS more than 25 years of experience leading complex, mission-driven organizations through sustained financial growth and institutional modernization. He will oversee the center’s financial strategy, operations, and long-term planning, including finance, accounting, audit, and risk management.
With an annual operating budget exceeding $65 million, CSIS stands at the forefront of shaping the future of national security through rigorous, nonpartisan scholarship on the issues that will define American prosperity and security for decades to come—including defense, economic security and technology, geopolitics, and global development.
Related: Lochlin Partners Assists the Entertainment Software Association with CFO Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
