As the Potomac Institute celebrates its 30th year, we are revitalizing our brand to meet the challenges of a contested global order. Central to this transformation is the "People Power" that has defined us for three decades, led by our Board of Regents. Welcome to our latest interview series: Regents in Conversation, a masterclass in the bold, unconventional thinking that gives our clients, and our nation, what it needs, not just what it wants.

In this series, CEO Jennifer Buss sits down with a few esteemed members of PIPS’ Board of Regents to discuss their respective work and careers, their experience with The Potomac Institute, and their thoughts on current and future policy topics.

In this episode of Regents in Conversation, Jen Buss speaks with Tim Sample, one of the founders of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, about the Institute’s origins, purpose, and enduring role in national security policy. Drawing on his background in the intelligence community and later service on Capitol Hill, Sample reflects on how Potomac Institute emerged from a desire to challenge the status quo, bring independent thinking to national security issues, and connect policy development to a broader understanding of science, technology, and economic security.

The conversation explores the Institute’s early emphasis on convening influential thinkers, building trusted networks, and creating a place where people could move in and out of government, industry, and policy roles while continuing to contribute to the national interest. Sample highlights the importance of viewing national security as more than a defense issue alone, arguing that economic security, technology development, and leadership cultivation have always been central to the Institute’s mission.

The session also looks forward. Sample underscores the continued value of small, high-trust networks, independent policy analysis, and long-term institution building at a moment when national security challenges are becoming more complex and more interconnected. His reflections offer both a history of how the Potomac Institute was built and a case for why its model remains relevant today.

Key Takeaways:

• Challenge the status quo when existing institutions are not moving fast enough to meet national security needs.

• Treat national security as a broad strategic enterprise that includes economic security, technology, and policy.

• Invest in trusted networks that connect government, industry, and independent expertise.

• Create more pathways for leaders to move between public service and outside experience without losing mission focus.

• Use small, focused convenings to shape ideas early and build long-term policy influence.