Samar Ali ’06 (BA’03), an associate with Bone McAllester Norton in Nashville, has been accepted into the 2016 class of Truman National Security Fellows.
The Truman Security Fellowship is a competitive leadership development program designed to identify, organize and position next-generation leaders to lead in policy development, communicate and advocate on issues of national security and foreign policy. Ali’s fellowship, during which she will receive training and work at the Truman National Security Project’s offices in Washington, D.C., began in February.
At Bone McAllester Norton, Ali’s law practice focuses on cross-border transactions, international law and private diplomacy. “Samar is an obvious choice for the Truman National Security Project,” said founding member Charles W. Bone. “This is a great honor. She is a talented, passionate advocate for positive change in America through government and international relations. Just in the past year her work has included major international projects across the globe.”
Before joining Bone McAllester Norton, Ali worked as assistant commissioner for international affairs for Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. She was a 2010 White House Fellow and, immediately following her White House Fellowship, worked as an adviser to the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and Doha, Qatar. Ali was an associate with Hogan Lovells US in Washington, D.C., and the United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2010.
She is a member of Vanderbilt Law School’s Board of Advisors. Before earning her J.D. at VLS, Ali received her B.S. in political science with honors from Vanderbilt University, where she became the first Arab-American elected student body president.