Suzanne Spaulding

Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Defense and Security Department
Suzanne Spaulding

Suzanne Spaulding is a senior adviser for the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Previously, she was a senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at 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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Building Civics Concepts into STEM and the Tech Sector

As technology continues to shape society, it’s essential for tech leaders to recognize their role in strengthening democracy. This report highlights the urgent need to integrate civic knowledge and responsibility into STEM education and careers. 

Report by Suzanne Spaulding and Paula Reynal — November 13, 2024

Smart Women, Smart Power Podcast

The State of Election Security in 2024

Suzanne Spaulding joins to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis, H. Andrew Schwartz, and Suzanne Spaulding — October 21, 2024

CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power
The Truth of the Matter

The State of Election Security in 2024

Suzanne Spaulding, director of the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project, joins a special crossover episode with CSIS’s Smart Women, Smart Power podcast to discuss election security, the role of election officials, and how to fight disinformation as early voting begins across the nation.

Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz, Kathleen McInnis, and Suzanne Spaulding — October 21, 2024

CSIS the truth of the matter

The Cyber Safety Review Board: Reflecting on the Past & Charting the Future

Please join the CSIS Defending Democratic Institutions Project on Monday, September 9 at 9:15 AM for a conversation on The Cyber Safety Review Board: Reflecting on the Past & Charting the Future with Robert Silvers, the Under Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. 

Event — September 9, 2024

Audio Briefs

NATO and Cyber: Outrunning the Bear

An audio version of “NATO and Cyber: Outrunning the Bear,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Suzanne Spaulding with Mark Montgomery. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Suzanne Spaulding and Mark Montgomery — July 10, 2024

Audio Briefs