Ian MacLeod

I think a lot of the projects I’ve worked on, classified and unclassified, have really had an impact. It’s very rewarding to feel that you’re doing something meaningful.

In a nine-year career at CNA, Ian MacLeod has traveled the world, flown in an F-18 Hornet, and fired a machine gun from a helicopter. Currently MacLeod is based in Okinawa, Japan working as CNA’s field representative to III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) – one of nearly 50 CNA analysts who are assigned to Navy, Marine Corps, and Joint Commands at all times.

MacLeod says that as a CNA analyst he’s had opportunities “to look at issues and have experiences I couldn’t have otherwise had,” experiences which have included helping planners with disaster relief activities and preparations to evacuate thousands of Americans from Japan following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. “I think a lot of the projects I’ve worked on, classified and unclassified, have really had an impact. It’s very rewarding to feel that you’re doing something meaningful.”

MacLeod joined CNA as a research specialist on the workforce, education, and training team, working on Navy and Marine Corps personnel projects and long-term studies for offices within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Before CNA, MacLeod worked at the Congressional Budget Office. He has a M.A. in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Syracuse University.