CSIS Names James A. Lewis Pritzker Chair

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) today announced that James A. Lewis has been appointed Pritzker Chair. The Chair—one of CSIS’s most prestigious positions—is named in honor of Thomas J. Pritzker, who has served as chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees since 2015.

Lewis, considered one of the world’s foremost experts working at the intersection of technology and public policy, has directed CSIS’s Strategic Technologies Program since 2002. His expertise on issues ranging from cybersecurity and digital regulation to the national security impact of emerging technologies and social media platforms is regarded as a leading source of insights for policymakers in the United States and within the international community. The Pritzker Chair appointment positions Lewis to be a leading contributor to the technology policy debate for years to come.

“I can think of no one more deserving of the Pritzker Chair than Jim Lewis,” said John Hamre, CSIS president and CEO. “Jim is a scholar of the highest caliber who has devoted his career to informing and driving the debate around complex tech policies. His work has been invaluable to countless policymakers and has strengthened the national security posture of the United States and its partners and allies. At a time when emerging technologies present significant opportunities and challenges, we are all fortunate to benefit from Jim’s intricate knowledge of the technology landscape.”

Prior to joining CSIS, Lewis was a diplomat, a member of the Senior Executive Service, and an advisor to the United Nations on cybersecurity. He was responsible for drafting and developing policy and regulations on commercial remote sensing, arms exports, encryption, spectrum management, cybersecurity, and technology exports. In addition, Lewis participated in several major negotiations, including the Wassenaar Arrangement and the UN cybersecurity norms.

Lewis is regularly called upon to offer expert testimony before Congress, and his views are widely cited by leading media outlets around the world.

Visit here to read Lewis’s latest analysis. For media inquiries, please contact Andrew Schwartz (aschwartz@csis.org) or Paige Montfort (pmontfort@csis.org).

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges.