National Academy of Public Administration National Academy of Public Administration
Suzanne Vares-Lum
Fellow

Suzanne Vares-Lum

Member Since 1969

Biography

Suzanne Vares-Lum became the director of the Daniel. K Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in January 2025. Prior to coming to the Center, she served as President of the East-West Center.

Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, she served 34 years in all three components of the U.S. Army (Army National Guard, Regular Army, and Army Reserve) before retiring as a Major General in 2021.

In her last military assignment, Vares-Lum spent 5 ½ years at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, where she served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, including periods as acting Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander. As a Brigadier General, she served as the Mobilization Assistant to the J5, Director of Strategic Plans and Policy, U.S. Pacific Command.

History of Employment

Position Division Organization Start End
President East-West Center 2022 2024
Owner Consultant/Advisor Vares-Lum Indo-Pacific Consulting 2021 2021
Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, Major General USA Command Group US Indo-Pacific Command 2018 2021
Deputy Director, Brigadier General, USA Strategic Planning and Policy US Indo-Pacific Command 2015 2018
Senior Intelligence Officer/Deputy Chief, Chief of Joint Staff, Colonel Headquarters Hawaii National Guard 2012 2015

Expertise

Primary Sector

Federal

Primary Functions

Academic Administration Military Service Nonprofit / NGO leadership Organizational Structure/Design/Development Strategic Planning
Back to All Fellows