Former George W. Bush administration official Joel Scanlon was announced on Monday as the new president and CEO of the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington. 

The outgoing CEO, John P. Walters, also came out of the Bush administration, where he served as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The institute is closely associated with the Republican Party’s hawkish, more interventionist wing, and its slate of experts is considered strongly pro-Israel.

After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, Walters released a statement saying that Hudson “will always stand on the side of Israel.” Hudson has since doubled down on its support for the U.S.-Israel alliance, even as some GOP-aligned groups — such as the Heritage Foundation, one of the most influential conservative think tanks — have recently taken a more isolationist approach to foreign policy.

At the end of the Bush administration, Scanlon served as director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Scanlon joined Hudson in 2014, moving through several senior roles, including his current position as executive vice president. He will start as president and CEO in January.