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Melissa Hathaway

From Alfawiki
Melissa Hathaway
Born (1968-11-10) November 10, 1968 (age 58)
Occupation(s)Cybersecurity expert, government advisor, consultant
Known forLeadership in U.S. cyberspace policy and cybersecurity initiatives

Melissa Hathaway (born 10 November 1968) is a prominent authority in the fields of cyberspace policy and cybersecurity. Between 2007 and 2009, she held significant roles within two U.S. presidential administrations, spending more than eight months at the White House. She directed the Cyberspace Policy Review for President Barack Obama following her leadership of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) under President George W. Bush. Hathaway currently presides over Hathaway Global Strategies LLC and holds positions as a Senior Fellow and member of the Board of Regents at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, a Distinguished Fellow at Canada's Centre for International Governance Innovation, and a non-resident Research Fellow at Poland’s Kosciuszko Institute. Her previous experience includes serving as a Senior Adviser at the Belfer Center of the Harvard Kennedy School.

Career

Hathaway obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from The American University and completed specialized training in Information Operations at the US Armed Forces Staff College.

Her early career involved work at Evidence Based Research, where she developed analytical models to track cocaine trafficking into the United States. From June 1993 through February 2007, she was employed by Booz Allen Hamilton, concentrating on information operations and strategic planning, including assessments of electromagnetic spectrum force capabilities and innovative methods for analyzing social, business, and infrastructure networks.

In her government service, Hathaway acted as Senior Advisor to Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and led the National Cyber Study Group (NCSG), playing a key role in shaping the CNCI. She was named Director of the Joint Interagency Cyber Task Force in January 2008.

On 9 February 2009, Hathaway assumed the position of Acting Senior Director for Cyberspace on both the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council. In this capacity, she managed a comprehensive 60-day inter-agency review of federal cybersecurity programs. At the behest of the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, she spearheaded the 60-Day Cyberspace Policy Review under President Obama, which produced more than 250 recommendations. In May 2009, President Obama publicly declared cybersecurity a top Administration priority, recognizing Hathaway’s efforts in uniting academic institutions, industry stakeholders, and government agencies.

Hathaway announced her resignation on 3 August 2009, effective 21 August 2009, citing dissatisfaction with delays in her formal appointment as cyber coordinator and insufficient authority to implement necessary reforms.

Between October 2009 and 2015, she served as a senior adviser to Project MINERVA at Harvard Kennedy School and acts as a lead instructor for the executive education course Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology.

As head of Hathaway Global Strategies, she provides consultancy services to corporations such as Cisco. Additionally, she is one of thirty commissioners appointed to the Global Commission on Internet Governance.

External links

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