
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).
In the News
Cyber Report Suzanne Spaulding on Securing Elections
Suzanne Spaulding in Defense and Aerospace Report — November 9, 2022
DHS policy leader Silvers says next Cyber Safety Review Board effort is in the works
Suzanne Spaulding in Inside Cyber Security — October 31, 2022
U.S. officials eye a complex web of election cybersecurity threats
Suzanne Spaulding in Axios — October 25, 2022
Our survey experts: It's okay to expose the government
Suzanne Spaulding in The Washington Post — September 20, 2022
White House cyber hire highlights diversity challenges in tech workforce
Suzanne Spaulding in Yahoo News — August 1, 2022
Anticipated Roe Reversal Brings Wave Data Security Reforms
Emily Harding , James Andrew Lewis , and Suzanne Spaulding in The Washington Post — June 16, 2022
Some see cyberwar in Ukraine. Others see just thwarted attacks.
Suzanne Spaulding in The Washington Post — April 14, 2022
Watch: A conversation on cybersecurity in 2022
Suzanne Spaulding in Axios — February 2, 2022
All content by Suzanne Spaulding
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The Convergence of National Security and Homeland Security: A Conversation with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Event by Suzanne Spaulding , Alejandro N. Mayorkas , and Vivian Salama — December 5, 2022
Disinformation and the Midterm Election
Podcast Episode by H. Andrew Schwartz and Suzanne Spaulding — November 3, 2022

The Future of U.S. Cyber and Infrastructure Security
Podcast Episode by Kathleen McInnis and Suzanne Spaulding — November 3, 2022

CISA Strategic Plan for 2023-2025: The Future of U.S. Cyber and Infrastructure Security
Event by Suzanne Spaulding , James Andrew Lewis , Jen Easterly , Ron Green , Valerie Cofield , and Grant Schneider — November 1, 2022

DHS Cyber Priorities for the Coming Year: A Conversation with Under Secretary Rob Silvers
Event by Suzanne Spaulding and Rob Silvers — October 28, 2022

Stopping the Spread of Online Mis- and Disinformation
Event by Caitlin Chin , Suzanne Spaulding , Samantha Bradshaw , Renée DiResta , and Caitlin Vogus — September 7, 2022

'Never Trust, Always Verify': Federal Migration to ZTA and Endpoint Security
Event by Emily Harding , Suzanne Spaulding , James Andrew Lewis , Michael Daniel , and Jeanette Manfra — June 16, 2022

“Never Trust, Always Verify”: Federal Migration to ZTA and Endpoint Security
Brief by Emily Harding , James Andrew Lewis , Suzanne Spaulding , Rose Butchart , Jake Harrington , Devi Nair , Harshana Ghoorhoo , and Paula Reynal — June 16, 2022

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

Welcome, Dr. Kathleen McInnis!
Podcast Episode by Suzanne Spaulding and Kathleen McInnis — May 4, 2022
