MONICA Jacobsen dos
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Consider who Rubio is comfortable putting in charge of the summit, names I gleaned from an internal State Department roster detailing the event.
Tera Dahl, a senior advisor in State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, is a Michael Flynn colleague from the first Trump administration who was pushed out of the National Security Council by H.R. McMaster. Before that, she wrote for Steve Bannon’s Breitbart, co-founded the now-defunct Council on Global Security — a think tank devoted to warning about the dangers of Islam. There, she worked with Katharine Gorka, wife of current Trump terrorism czar Sebastian Gorka, authoring a string of pieces praising Egypt’s strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for “leading Egypt towards democracy” as he jailed his critics.
Dahl got her start as a staffer for then-Representative Michele Bachmann — which is its own kind of full circle. In 2012, Bachmann and four House colleagues sent letters to federal inspectors general alleging that the Muslim Brotherhood had infiltrated the U.S. government, singling out longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The claim was baseless enough that John McCain went to the Senate floor to rebuke a member of his own party.
Then there’s Monica Jacobsen, another senior official at State’s Counterrorism Bureau, a holy warrior who emphasizes the defense of global Christians. She testified to Congress this year that her agency would “hold governments’ feet to the fire when they fail to address terrorist threats that undermine religious freedom.”
Then there’s Brent Munyon, Senior Adviser to the Deputy Secretary of Management and Resources. A few years ago, he was a partisan dirt digger for the Republican National Committee. Finally, there’s Oscar Buynevich, Special Advisor for the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, another partisan commentator whose career amounted to shoveling culture war slop at right-wing campus watchdogs like Campus Reform and The College Fix.
It’s a rogues’ gallery befitting the imaginary Iraqi WMD fiasco, the main contributor to the mess we are still in more than 20 years later. Think Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicaager/
Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism (Acting), Counterterrorism Bureau (DoS) | National Security & Foreign Policy Leader | International Law | Global Programs | Team Builder | Mission-Driven
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
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U.S. Department of State
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Mission-driven national security executive with over a decade of experience leading U.S. foreign policy, counterterrorism strategy, and interagency operations at the highest levels of government. Currently serving as Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, I lead efforts to detect, disrupt, and prevent terrorist threats while advancing U.S. security interests and building global CT partnerships. I also have a deep background in U.S. sanctions regimes, and currently oversee the use of all CT-related designation tools for the Department of State.
I specialize in driving whole-of-government solutions in high-stakes, complex environments, working to ensure alignment between policy, legal, and programmatic tools to deliver results. I provide strategic oversight for a global counterterrorism portfolio of over $75 million in foreign assistance and manage teams of 100+ professionals.
Previously, I served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, where I led the Department’s efforts to address democratic backsliding and human rights challenges across Europe, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. I also oversaw the Department’s engagement on sensitive human rights-related security issues, including arms sales, security sector assistance, and the vetting of foreign security forces.
Earlier in my career, I spent over a decade as an attorney at the Department of State, advising on sanctions policy and implementation, atrocity prevention, counterterrorism authorities, visa restrictions, security assistance, wrongful detention, and international human rights law. I have served as the U.S. government’s lead negotiator on key UN resolutions, treaties, and multilateral agreements, forging coalitions that advance U.S. strategic objectives and reinforce international norms.
Recognized for collaborative, decisive leadership, I bring deep experience navigating complex legal and political landscapes, advising senior decision-makers, and aligning diverse stakeholders behind actionable strategies. My approach is grounded in integrity, problem-solving, and empowering high-performing teams to succeed in fast-paced, high-impact environments.
I am passionate about using principled leadership, legal rigor, and creative diplomacy to build a safer, more secure, and more just world.
- Principal Deputy Coordinator (Acting), Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT)
- Sep 2025 - Present · 11 mos
- Washington DC-Baltimore Area
- Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator and the Deputy Coordinator for Homeland Security, Screening, and Designations for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State.
- Coordinator for Counterterrorism (Acting)
- Oct 2025 - May 2026 · 8 mos
- United States
- Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL)
- Full-time
- Jun 2024 - Jul 2025 · 1 yr 2 mos
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States · On-site
- Oversee the Bureau's Offices of European and Eurasian Affairs (DRL/EUR), South and Central Asia Affairs (DRL/SCA), Near Eastern Affairs (DRL/NEA), and Security & Human Rights Strategy and Policy (DRL/SHR). Served as DRL's Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for several months.
- Attorney Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser
- Nov 2013 - Jun 2024 · 10 yrs 8 mos
- (2021-2024) Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Law Enforcement and Intelligence (L/LEI). Serve as the Department's legal expert on counterterrorism (CT) matters, including material support, terrorist use of the internet, Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) designations, and multilateral engagement on CT issues. Lead Department engagement on extradition and law enforcement cooperation matters related to Eastern and Central Europe and Russia. Advise the Special Presidential Envoy on Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) on legal issues related to hostages and wrongful detentions, including implementation of the Levinson Act.
- (2016-2021) Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Human Rights and Refugees (L/HRR). Served as the Department’s legal expert on atrocities, accountability, children’s rights (including child soldiers), disability rights, and human rights-related financial sanctions (including the Global Magnitsky sanctions program), visa restrictions, security issues, and foreign assistance restrictions. Served as the coordinator for legal engagement in the UN Human Rights Counsel and UN General Assembly Third Committee on Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Issues.
- (2013-2016) Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Consular Affairs (L/CA). Served as the Department’s legal expert on citizenship and nationality issues, consular functions, social security totalization, and American Citizen Services, including legal issues arising from U.S. citizens being detained, killed, or taken hostage abroad.
- (2018-2024) Recruitment and Retention Committee (RRC). Serve on the Office of the Legal Adviser’s RRC, interviewing hundreds of applicants and participating in the hiring of over 80 attorneys and 90 interns and externs.
Aug 2012 - Aug 2013 · 1 yr 1 mo
Law Clerk to the Honorable Helene N. White on the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Drafted opinions and bench memoranda on legal issues for Judge White’s civil and criminal dockets, including cases related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the federal death penalty.
Associate with the Litigation and International groups. Researched and advised on human rights due diligence and compliance issues. Served as the sole associate on a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation. Prepared filings for hearings before the World Bank Group Sanctions Board.
Completed over 120 hours of pro bono service, including the representation of foster parents in a successful adoption petition for their foster child.
Legal extern with the Civil Division, Appellate Staff (Civil Appellate). Authored appellate briefs and legal memoranda for cases arising out of U.S. federal programs.
Steptoe Public Interest Fellow
Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Reviewed relevant case law to determine the viability of potential clients’ claims and provided recommendations to supervising attorney. Drafted legal memoranda for Title VII sex discrimination and retaliation cases.
Law Clerk
California Attorney General's Office
May 2009 - Aug 2009 · 4 mos
Intern in the Health, Education, and Welfare division. Authored a complaint to enjoin the operation of an unlicensed childcare facility. Drafted a summary judgment motion opposing a pro se § 1983 claim by a prisoner.
African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) · Full-time
Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Researched, edited, and compiled materials for AWDF grant programs, which have awarded $2.7 million to 311 women’s organizations in 39 African countries.
Provided support for the launch of The 13 Campaign, a fundraising initiative for African women’s groups addressing HIV/AIDS issues, at the 15th International AIDS conference in Toronto.
Human Rights Watch · Internship
Intern with the Women's Rights Division. Researched human rights issues for a report on women with HIV/AIDS.
Participated in the Acting on Rights: Women and HIV/AIDS Leadership Retreat at Yale Law School.
Education
Columbia College, Columbia University
B.A., cum laude, Political Science
Activities and societies: Study Abroad Program.
University of California, Berkeley - School of Law
Activities and societies: Editor-in-Chief, Berkeley Journal of International Law.
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