Mark Dubowitz, born on September 11, 1968, in South Africa and raised in Toronto, Canada, is a Canadian-American-Israeli citizen who has lived in Washington, D.C., since 2003. He holds a master's degree in international public policy with a focus on China studies from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, as well as JD and MBA degrees from the University of Toronto. Before joining the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) in 2003, he worked as a venture capitalist, technology executive, and attorney. Dubowitz serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FDD, a think tank known for its hardline stance on Iran and advocacy for sanctions, where he is a leading advocate for maximum pressure campaigns against Iran and a key figure in the anti-Iran lobby in Washington. At FDD, he founded the Iran Program and co-founded the Center on Economic and Financial Power (formerly Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance), Center on Military and Political Power, and China Program. He is a leading expert on Iran’s sanctions and nuclear program and a key architect of the maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Recognized for his nonpartisan expertise on Iran’s nuclear, terrorist, missile, and cyber threats, as well as sanctions against China and other threat actors, he has testified over 20 times before the U.S. Congress and foreign legislatures, advised the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, and authored or co-authored more than 20 studies on economic sanctions and Iran’s nuclear program. His efforts significantly contributed to policies such as banning Iran from the SWIFT financial system. Both Iran and Russia have sanctioned him and FDD. Additionally, Dubowitz is a lecturer and senior research fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, teaching courses on sanctions and international negotiations. He hosts the podcast "The Iran Breakdown" and is active on X/Twitter (@mdubowitz) and Instagram (@mdubowitz).