Kevin Baron is the editorial director of POLITICO Live. Baron leads the U.S. editorial events team in POLITICO’s newsroom, designing and overseeing all editorial programming, and partnering closely with business and production teams. Prior, Baron was the founding executive editor of Defense One, a news division of Atlantic Media and GovExec, which he led from 2013 to 2023, overseeing all editorial strategy, operations, coverage, events, and product development, while also reporting and writing articles and columns. He is also a regular on-stage host and moderator at international conferences and on-air global security and political affairs analyst.
Baron joined the Pentagon press corps in 2008, covering U.S. military and defense leaders from war zones to world capitals for Stars & Stripes, National Journal, Foreign Policy, and Defense One. He previously managed investigative projects for the Boston Globe’s DC bureau from 2004 to 2009, after muckraking for the Center for Public Integrity. Before journalism, Baron covered international policy as a junior staffer at the United Nations Association of the USA, and as a lobbyist for the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange. Baron earned his M.A in media and public affairs from the George Washington University, 2004, and B.A. in international studies: politics and diplomacy from the University of Richmond, 1997. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Raised in Florida, Baron is the father of three sons.