John Gans

John A. Gans, Jr. is the Director of Communications and Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House. Prior to this, Gans was the chief speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. He served as the principal advisor to the Secretary Carter on planning, positioning, and preparation of remarks; managed a team of writers; and drafted dozens of speeches delivered around the world. In addition to leading the writing team at the Defense Department, Gans served as senior speechwriter for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew.

He is author of White House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way of War, which was published by a division of W.W. Norton. Gans earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, where he also taught for several years.