NextGen Roundtable was pleased to host R. David Edelman: Senior Director of International Cyber Policy, National Security Council on November 15, 2011.
R. David Edelman just completed his term as Director for International Cyber Policy at the National Security Council, The White House. In this role, he served as a foreign policy advisor to Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt, and manager of the Cyber Directorate’s international portfolio. Dubbed the nation’s “chief cyber diplomat,” he was the architect of President Obama’s International Strategy for Cyberspace released in May 2011, and is reputedly the youngest Director in NSC history.
Prior to this assignment, he served as Policy Advisor in the State Department’s Office of Cyber Affairs within the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). There he was responsible for developing U.S. diplomatic strategy in cyberspace, international legal doctrine, bilateral/multilateral engagement with East Asia on cyber issues, and speeches for Secretary Clinton and Deputy Secretary Steinberg. For the Fall of 2010, he served as chief U.S. negotiator on Internet issues at the United Nations.
He has previously served as a foreign affairs analyst specializing in Northeast Asia, and prior to joining State worked at the Brookings Institution, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security.
At Yale, he majored in History, directed the Yale Ex!t Players improvisational comedy group, reviewed restaurants for the Yale Herald, and founded the Yale-in-Washington program. He holds M.Phil in International relations from Oxford, and is currently completing his doctoral dissertation, also at Oxford, focusing on cyber attacks within international law and security.
NEXT GEN ROUNDTABLE is where Institute for Education interns and DC area students meet with political, business and cultural leaders to exchange ideas with impact. NEXT GENers have frank and open discussions with game changers to learn about opportunities the future may hold. Partnering with the Washington International School, we also interview speakers for the Student News Action Network. Jenny Shore is the Founder of NEXT GEN and an IFE intern.
