Shannon Hayden
- Senior Director, Asia Strategy and Regional Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Shannon Hayden is senior director for Asia Strategy and Regional Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where she advises member companies on geopolitical and economic security issues across Asia. Working in close cooperation with the Chamber’s China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia teams, she leads cross-cutting regional work to assist companies’ strategic decision-making regarding supply chains, technology management, and investment.
Previously, Hayden was with the Chamber’s Southeast Asia program, focusing on Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Before joining the Chamber, she was associate director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she oversaw region-wide project development and management.
Prior to joining CSIS, Hayden worked at Vice News reporting on Asia-Pacific politics and security; as a consultant in Singapore focusing on energy, conservation, and logistics; and as a contributor to former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s book The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia.
Earlier in her career, she served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Secretaries Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, and Chuck Hagel and was a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. At the Pentagon, Hayden served as country director for China and managed adjustments to U.S. military posture in the Indo-Pacific. Before that, she worked on Iraq-, Afghanistan-, and Pakistan-related post-conflict reconstruction issues at CSIS and the International Organization for Migration.
Hayden holds a master’s degree from George Washington University with a concentration in international law and organizations and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia with a double major in international relations and art history. She is from Marietta, Georgia.
