[5] Since 2007, he has served as Senior Vice President of National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington.

[6] Born in Pasadena, California, De Leon studied at El Camino College for two years and then transferred to Loyola Marymount University, earning a B.A.

De Leon later completed the executive program in national and international security affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1984.

De Leon worked for the Boeing Company as a senior vice president from 2001 to 2006, managing the Washington office.

De Leon has served as a college lecturer as well as foreign policy expert for the Center for American Progress.