Prior to joining the entertainment industry, Alston served as deputy chief speechwriter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, strategic advisor and senior speechwriter to General David Petraeus in Afghanistan, and senior speechwriter to Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. He has an M.B.A. from UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and has worked as a marketing executive for a medical-simulation start-up and a management consultant for McKinsey & Co. Show less «