Abigail Wulf

Vice President and Director, Center for Critical Minerals Strategy

Abigail Wulf is the Director of the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at SAFE. Abigail brings broad Earth science expertise to the Center, from researching rare earth- and lithium-rich pegmatites to working with NASA researchers to convey the connections between Earth’s component systems. She previously served as Senior Science Communicator for Research within NASA’s Earth Science Division. She also served as Policy Manager for the American Geosciences Institute, a nonpartisan federation of more than 50 professional scientific societies. While at AGI, Abigail co-led the Minerals Science and Information Coalition, a broad-based alliance of organizations representing all stages of the critical minerals supply chain.

Peter Flory

Senior Fellow and Director, American Semiconductor Center

A former senior Pentagon official, Peter has advised the Defense Department, U.S. Navy, and private industry on topics ranging from semiconductors — including development of the 2020 CHIPS Act — to management and organization, and strategy toward China.  He previously served as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment, and Special Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and worked in industry as Vice President, International for QinetiQ North America.  Peter holds a J.D. from Georgetown and an Honors B.A. from McGill University.

Joe Quinn

Vice President of Strategic Industrial Materials

Joe Quinn leads the Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, a new policy initiative dedicated to advancing more secure and sustainable supply chains for aluminum and other industrial materials critical to America’s national and economic security.  Quinn is developing a framework designed to ensure resilient and domestic aluminum production. 

Prior to joining SAFE, Quinn served as the Vice President of External Affairs & Industry Relations at the Aluminum Association. He raised the industry’s profile, created the Congressional Aluminum Caucus, set new membership records, and served as a strategic advisor to the industry on trade and energy issues.  

Previously, Quinn worked at public relations firms positioning organizations favorably with key opinion leaders to advance policy initiatives. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council. A Cincinnati native, he received his B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina.  

Thayer Scott

Vice President, Public Affairs

Thayer Scott is a writer and consultant focusing on national security-related policy, technology, and energy issues.  Previously he worked in communications and government affairs positions for The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin. From 2004 to 2011 he served in the U.S. Department of Defense, the last four years as Chief Speechwriter for Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Earlier he was communications director for the International Republican Institute, an independent organization promoting democratic governance overseas. Mr. Scott has a B.A. from Princeton University and a M.S. from University of California-Berkeley. After college he served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery officer.

Zoe Oysul

Senior Policy Analyst

Danielle Woodring

Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy

Danielle Woodring is the Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs of the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman, Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at SAFE. Danielle brings real-world geological and science policy expertise to the Center. After obtaining her Master of Science in structural geology and geological mapping, Danielle worked as a geologist for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Geological Survey, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Prior to her master’s research, she served as a Policy Associate for the American Geosciences Institute and worked for the American Geophysical Union. Her multi-faceted career provides her with insights into the science and policies informing all aspects of the critical minerals supply chain, from discovery and extraction to development and manufacturing.

Abigail Hunter

Director of International Affairs and Partnerships

In April 2023 Abigail Hunter became Director of International Affairs and Partnerships, a new position within the SAFE Center for Critical Mineral Strategy. Previously, Hunter led federal government affairs for nearly three years as the senior attaché in Washington, D.C., for Quebec, Canada’s most mineral-rich province. In Hunter’s new role she will sustain existing SAFE partnerships and develop new ones to reduce – in a sustainable and ethical way – the free world’s critical mineral dependencies on the People’s Republic of China and other Foreign Entities of Concern.   Hunter’s association with SAFE began as a student fellow in October 2022, when she began providing writing and research support to the SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, leading to C-SIM’s seminal report on aluminum supply challenges published in February.

Before joining Quebec’s DC office in 2020, she led international programs for the U.S. National Governors Association, where her portfolio included trade negotiations and overseas missions.  Hunter is completing a Masters in Sustainable Energy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.  Her paper on North American grid connections was published by JHU’s Initiative for Sustainable Energy.