The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy Welcomes Three Fellows
A former U.S. ambassador, a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, and a retired Navy captain join the Center’s fellowship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego, California — November 10th, 2026
The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy today announced that Ambassador Claire Pierangelo, Dr. Gary J. Sampson, and Captain Jon Duffy have joined as fellows, adding decades of service in diplomacy, intelligence, and naval command to the Center’s work on Pacific strategy.
“We are incredibly proud to be joined by Claire, Gary, and Jon. Each has led a distinguished career in government and we are honored to have them continue their work demonstrating American leadership in the Pacific with The La Jolla Center,” said Blaine Worthington, Founder and Executive Director of The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy.
Ambassador Claire Pierangelo joins as Distinguished Fellow. A former career U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar and the Comoros and former Acting Deputy Commandant of the National War College, she has more than four decades of international leadership. At the Center, she will ask how San Diego can “harness its unique expertise” to help shape the next stage of U.S. engagement in the Pacific.
“The Center’s founders are committed to a fresh new approach to San Diego’s role in U.S. policy in the Pacific - one that is integrated, comprehensive and seeks to bring all the varied expertise sitting in San Diego together. That is an exciting proposition and the organization’s energy is infectious,” said Ambassador Pierangelo.
Dr. Gary J. Sampson joins as Senior Nonresident Fellow. A retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, he served as principal intelligence briefer to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and as special assistant and speechwriter to two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His research examines Chinese strategy and deterrence in East Asia, and at the Center he is working to answer a question: “How effective will China be in turning its alliances and partnerships into influence?”
“What appealed to me was the chance to be part of something fairly new: an organization connecting Pacific-focused research with public conversations in Southern California, and a place that looks at big ideas. I’m excited to work on issues that span the Pacific and shape the world we’ll live in,” said Dr. Sampson.
Captain Jon Duffy joins as Senior Resident Fellow. A retired Navy captain, he commanded two destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser and led Destroyer Squadron 15 in Yokosuka, Japan. He served as Director of Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council at the White House, and his goal at the Center is to explore how San Diego can become “a more consequential gateway for America’s engagement with the Pacific.”
“I was drawn to the Center’s recognition that San Diego has an opportunity to play a much larger role in shaping America’s approach to the Pacific. We have an extraordinary concentration of military expertise, research institutions, and innovative industries in defense, technology, and biotechnology,” said Captain Duffy.
Biographies for each fellow are available at thelajollacenter.org/people/fellows.
About The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy
The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy is America’s home for Pacific leadership. It develops the strategies and strategists Pacific leadership requires. The Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in San Diego.
Media Contact
→ Connor Doyle, Director of Communications
→ cdoyle@thelajollacenter.org
→ 310-480-0428