POLICY

Every semester, we complete policy research under the guidance and mentorship of officials within U.S. government agencies, foreign governments, non-profits, and think tanks.

We are deeply appreciative of the support that our partners (below) provide in doing their part to offer real-world training to the next generation. Each project is completed by a team of undergraduates led by a policy chair (listed).

Current officials and offices interested in advising future policy projects are welcome to contact the appropriate Senior Director of Policy for more information:

Senior Director of Policy for U.S. Government:

Maddy Gavitt | mgavitt@college.harvard.edu

Senior Director of Policy for Foreign Governments:

George Whitford | gwhitford@college.harvard.edu

Senior Director of Policy for International Organizations, Think Tanks, & Businesses:

Hamaad Mehal | hamaadmehal@college.harvard.edu

*We do not take any formal policy positions as an organization to ensure the impartial research and learning of our members. Our policy teams strictly operate under the mentorship of the following organizations; these projects do not represent formal employment arrangements.

FALL 2021

U.S. Department of Defense

Office of the Secretary of Defense

fBishop Garrison, Senior Advisor on Human Capital and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Clay Oxford

Researchers: Carly Lehman, Keagan Yap, Christy Zheng, & Emilie Kalkus

U.S. Department of State

Expo Unit

Anthony Pahigian, Expo Senior Advisor

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Matt Kiley

Policy Chair: Daniel Salgado-Alvarez

Researchers: Maia Hollins-Kirk, Vikhyat Kethamukkala, & Al Shodiev

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Africa Command

Dr. Eric Miller, Assistant for Intelligence Analysis

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Matt Kiley

Policy Chair: Anne Foley

Researchers: Lexa Brenner, Eytan Goldstein, Rahem Hamid, Emily Peck, Pranay Varada, & Michael Waxman

U.S. Department of State

Joint Executive Office for Near Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs

Rachna Korhonen, Executive Director

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Evan Gates

Researchers: Tessa Conrardy & Irati Egorho Diez

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Space Force

COL John Smail, Senior Cyber Officer

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Sim Sayer

Policy Chair: Aaron Eudaimon

Researchers: Anna MacLennan, Trey Whitehead, & Derek Yuan

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Embassy Guatemala

Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, Political-Economic Counselor

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Rick Brown

Researchers: Kento Yamada, Inko Bovenzi, Sam Schumman, & Kushal Chattopadhyay

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Cyber Command - China

1LT Paul Ehrlich in the U.S. Army Reserve and USCYBERCOM

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Matt Kiley

Policy Chairs: Katrina Brown & Ryan Xia

Researchers: Jacqueline Moss & Shriya Yarlaggada

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Cyber Command - North Korea

1LT Paul Ehrlich in the U.S. Army Reserve and USCYBERCOM

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Eddie Jin

Researchers: Morgan Lee, Ben Landau, & Christina Morris

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Cyber Command - Russia

1LT Paul Ehrlich in the U.S. Army Reserve and USCYBERCOM

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Sim Sayer

Policy Chair: Newaz Rahman

Researchers: Syed Ahmed & Andrew Lu

Pol

U.S. Department of State

Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA)

Roger Carstens, SPEHA
Joel Borkert, Strategic Policy Advisor

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Shelby Tzung

Researchers: Nir Amin, Etai Clyde, Alexander Hughes, Ethan Jasny, Cooper Knarr, & Chris Wright

New Zealand

Member of Parliament

Senior Director of Policy: Fawwaz Shoukfeh

Deputy Director of Policy: Luis Esteva Sueiro

Policy Chair: Erin Guetzloe

Researchers: Jo-Tzu Rose Lu, Arleen Saini, Yabby Abejie, Ellie Ashby, Jama Willis, & Andrew Jing

Palestinian National Authority

Central Bureau of Statistics

Dr. Ola Awad, President

Haleema Saeed, Director General of IR Directorate

Senior Director of Policy: Fawwaz Shoukfeh

Senior Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Deputy Director of Policy: George Whitford

Policy Chair: Afiya Rahman

Researchers: Meredith Zielonka & Jose Rivera

European Union

European Court of Justice

Vivien Terrien, Référendaire at General Court of the E.U.

Senior Director of Policy: Fawwaz Shoukfeh

Deputy Director of Policy: George Whitford

Policy Chair: Elliott Mokski

Researchers: Olivia Glunz, Gaby Pesantez, Joyce Chen, Sophie Lucas, Hemanth Asirvatham, & Corine Chung

Center for a New American Security

Military, Veterans, and Society Program

Katherine Kuzminski, Senior Fellow

Senior Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Deputy Director of Policy: Rohan Jakhete

Policy Chair: Raghav Chopra

Researchers: Noelani Wing, Vaibhav Berlia, Alma Conway, & Charlotte Berry

European Union

European Commission

Vivien Terrien, Référendaire at General Court of the E.U.

Senior Director of Policy: Fawwaz Shoukfeh

Deputy Director of Policy: George Whitford

Policy Chair: Alexandra Purcell

Researchers: Ruhsil Mallarapu, Ciara Campbell, Addie Esposito, & Timothy Fargiano

Council on Strategic Risks

The Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons

Andy Weber, Senior Fellow

Senior Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Deputy Director of Policy: Rohan Jakhete

Policy Chair: Saddat Nazir

Researchers: Mohammad Muqtader Omari, Christopher Thorn, & Shriya Yarlagadda

Facebook

Content Policy Team

Abby Fanlo, Associate Content Policy Manager

Senior Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Deputy Director of Polcy: Eleanor Wikstrom

Policy Chair: Stella Asmerom

Researchers: Akhila Yalvigi, Kushan Weerakon, Zaki Lakhani, Jay Hong Chew, & Teresa Lu-Romeo

U.S. Department of Defense

The Pentagon

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Deputy Director of Policy: Maddy Gavitt

Policy Chair: Ben Schroeder

Researchers: Arjun Akwei, Isabel Eddy, Immanuel Carmouche, Alex Wilson, Hazel Koh, & Leo Gerdén

SPRING 2021

Defense Security Command of the Republic of Korea

Former Commander Lt. Gen. Kim Young-han

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chairs: Esther Kim & Angie Shin

Researchers: Joshua Lee, Arjun Akwei, Eura Choi, & Maxwell Horne

Republic of Sudan

Ministry of Finance

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Reem Ali

Researchers: Aden Barton & Ali Makani

The White House

National Security Council Director for Russia

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chair: Randle Steinbeck

Researchers: Robert Zipper, Hemanth Asirvatham, Suchetas Bokil, Rohan Shah, & Liam De Monaco

The White House

National Security Council Director for European Affairs

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chair: Luis Esteva Sueiro

Researchers: Elliott Detjen, Willem Ebbinge, Jack Leland, Stephanie Lin, Elliott Mokski, & Ryan Tierney

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Mission to NATO

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chairs: Emmy Cho & Fawwaz Shoukfeh

Researchers: Josiah Meadows, Rosanna Kataja, Luca D'Amico-Wong, Erin Guetzloe, Camden Archambeau, Litsa Kapsalis, Hyuntae Choi, & Colin McGinn

Government of Peru

Peruvian Congress

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chairs: Alejandra Perea Rojas & Juan Venancio

Researchers: Jorge Ruiz, Diana Gandara, Sarah Farley, Melanie Armella, Anna Farronay, Emily Ramirez, & Sophie Lucas

Government of Ukraine

Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Noah Dasanaike

Researchers: Lucero Castaneda, Carrie Hsu, Rachel Harris, Matt Kiley, & Aidan Wrenn-Walz

Government of Pakistan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Deputy Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Policy Chair: Andrew Gordan

Researchers: Michael Gilbertsen, Nabin Poudel, Parita Shah, Ang Sonam Sherpa, Alex Walsh, & Kento Yamada

Government of Sweden

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Gaby Pesantez

Researchers: Shelby Tzung, Anuksha Wickramasinghe, Madison Eagan, & Rasmee Ky

U.S. Department of State

Special Mission to Venezuela

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chairs: Max Shakespeare & Erta Kurti

Researchers: Sarah Deonarain, Roman Ugarte, Anders Ode, Christina Morris, & Akhila Yalvigi

United Nations

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chairs: Max Shakespeare & Shruthi Kumar

Researchers: Brammy Rajakumar, Daniela Betancourt, Heidi Jacobson, Henry Austin, Shreya Nair, & Varshini Odayar

U.S. Senator Chris Coons

Senate Committee for Bi-Partisan Climate Solutions

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chairs: Lucas Walsh & Myer Johnson-Potter

Researchers: Betsey Bennett, Charles Hua, Alida Monaco, & Elie Salem

U.S. Department of the Interior

National Climate Adaptation Science Center

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chairs: Lucas Walsh & Talia Blatt

Researchers: Rick Brown, Rosa Flores-Rueda, Klara Kuemmerle, Lap Nguyen, Alexandra Purcell, & Jack Walker

USAID

U.S. Mission to Iraq

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Maddy Gavitt

Researchers: Iman Alshawk, Hannah Bottarel, Cara Chang, Kate
De Groote, Nadia Douglas, & Lucy Tu

Government of Egypt

Egyptian Parliament

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Bana Almoussa

Researchers: Chenyu Wang, Aqib Zakaria, & Charlotte Swisher

The White House

National Security Council Director for Space Policy

Senior Director of Policy: Sama Kubba

Policy Chair: Rohan Jakhete

Researchers: Syed Ahmed, Ryan Santos, Qijia Zhou, Shane Rockett, Simeon Sayer, & George Whitford

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Embassy in Riyadh

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chair: Ryan Jordan

Researchers: Shikoh Hirabayashi, Charlotte Swisher, Priya Kukreja, & Kayra Yaman

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Representative to the OIC & U.S. Consulate General of Jeddah

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chair: Aqib Zakaria

Researchers: Ahmed Alsheikh & Jack Taylor

Facebook

Misinformation Policy Team

Deputy Director of Policy: Hamaad Mehal

Policy Chair: Eleanor Wikstrom

Researchers: Stella Asmerom, Lexa Brenner, April Chen, Maddie Dowd, & Carolyn Wang

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Embassy in Seoul

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chairs: Seraya Amirthalingam, Caroline Choi, & Esther Kim

Researchers: Daniel Salgado-Alvarez, Nico Fernandez, Charles Hua, Sherry Liu, & Brian Seo

Former Assemblyman Chung Byeong-guk of the Republic of Korea

Five-Time Elected Assemblyman Chung Byeong-guk

Deputy Director of Policy: Lauren Morganbesser

Policy Chairs: Esther Kim & Angie Shin

Researchers: Autumn Dorsey, Tracy Jiang, & Dohyun Kim

FALL 2020

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee

Representative Andy Levin (MI-09)

Director of Policy: Robbie Edwards

Policy Chair: Randle Steinbeck

Researchers: Nadia Douglas, Lexa Brenner, Maddy Gavitt, Sophia Weng, Nicholas Fernandez, Elie Salem, Rohan Jakhete, Chase Souder, & Taryn O'Connor

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee

Representative Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14)

Director of Policy: Maxwell Zhu

Policy Chair: Kaede Ishidate

Researchers: Chinmay Deshpande, Alex Walsh, & Maxwell Zhu

The White House

National Security Council

Director of Policy: John Ferguson

Policy Chairs: Lauren Morganbesser, Andrew Shaw, & Hamaad Mehal

Researchers: Domenic Caturello, Esther Kim, Priya Kukreja, Christina Morris, Alejandra Perea Rojas, Nisha Seyed, Juan Venancio, Leila Wass, Eleanor Wikstrom, & Angela Zhong