Suzanne Spaulding

Senior Adviser, Homeland Security, International Security Program
Suzanne Spaulding

Suzanne Spaulding is senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also serves as a member of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission. Previously, she served as undersecretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she led the National Protection and Programs Directorate, now called the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), managing a $3 billion budget and a workforce of 18,000 that is charged with strengthening cybersecurity and protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, including election infrastructure. Ms. Spaulding has worked in the executive branch in Republican and Democratic administrations and on both sides of the aisle in Congress. She was general counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and minority staff director for the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She also spent six years at the Central Intelligence Agency, where she was assistant general counsel and the legal adviser to the director’s Nonproliferation Center. She was executive director of two congressionally created commissions, on weapons of mass destruction and on terrorism. Following the attacks of 9/11, Ms. Spaulding worked with key critical infrastructure sectors as they reviewed their security posture and advised the CEOs of the Business Roundtable. In 2002, she was appointed by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia to the Secure Commonwealth Panel to advise the governor and the legislature regarding preparedness issues. She was managing partner of the Harbour Group, a principal in the Bingham Consulting Group, and of counsel to Bingham McCutchen LLP. In addition to her work at CSIS, Ms. Spaulding currently serves on a number of corporate boards and advisory boards and is a member of the Homeland Security Experts Group (HSEG).

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The Truth of the Matter

Disinformation and the Midterm Election

CSIS’s Suzanne Spaulding, former Undersecretary of Homeland Security joins the podcast to discuss disinformation (foreign and domestic) surrounding the midterm election and its impacts.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Suzanne Spaulding — November 3, 2022

CSIS the truth of the matter
Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The Future of U.S. Cyber and Infrastructure Security

On November 1, the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program hosted CISA Director Jen Easterly for a conversation on the future of U.S. cyber and infrastructure security.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Suzanne Spaulding — November 3, 2022

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power

Stopping the Spread of Online Mis- and Disinformation

Join the Strategic Technologies Program for a conversation on the future of online communications and the role of social media platforms in a democratic society.

Event by Caitlin Chin , Suzanne Spaulding , Samantha Bradshaw , Renée DiResta , and Caitlin Vogus — September 7, 2022

Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images

“Never Trust, Always Verify”: Federal Migration to ZTA and Endpoint Security

The U.S. government is working to modernize its cybersecurity efforts by establishing "zero trust" architecture (ZTA). CSIS undertook a six-month project focused on evaluating obstacles to implementing federal ZTA efforts and opportunities for accelerating the shift.

Brief by Emily Harding , James Andrew Lewis , Suzanne Spaulding , Rose Butchart , Jake Harrington , Devi Nair , Harshana Ghoorhoo , and Paula Reynal — June 16, 2022

Photo: kras99/Adobe Stock

‘Civics at Work’ Launch Event

The "Civics at Work" initiative is a partnership with leading civics groups, national security practitioners, and business leaders looking to elevate civics as a national and economic security imperative.

Event by Suzanne Spaulding , Michael Carney , Deborah Enix-Ross , Tom Fanning , Kathleen Hall Jamieson , Teresa Hutson , and Brad Smith — May 4, 2022

Photo: eurobanks/Adobe Stock
Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

Welcome, Dr. Kathleen McInnis!

Suzanne Spaulding officially passes the SWSP microphone over to the new SWSP director, Dr. Kathleen McInnis.

Podcast Episode by Suzanne Spaulding and Kathleen McInnis — May 4, 2022

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power