Lucas Schleusener
2026-2027 Obama Foundation USA Leader
CEO, Out in National Security
Washington, District of Columbia
Lucas Schleusener is the CEO and co-founder of Out in National Security, a professional association and advocacy organization advancing equality for LGBTQIA+ professionals across the military, intelligence, diplomacy, and national security enterprise. Under his leadership, Out in National Security has built a network of more than 3,500 professionals and secured reforms including automatic discharge upgrades for over 10,000 LGBTQ veterans, pardons for historic sodomy convictions, and expanded IVF benefits for approximately 1.7M veterans and more than 200,000 active-duty servicemembers. Lucas also directed the creation of the organization’s Transgender Veterans Toolkit, helping states improve healthcare continuity, employment access, and housing stability for transgender veterans. Previously, he served in the Department of Defense from 2012 to 2017 as a speechwriter to the secretary of defense when personnel-policy reforms affecting LGBTQIA+ servicemembers and women in the military were implemented.
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