Samir Jain
Center for Democracy and Technology
Vice President of Policy
Samir Jain is the Vice President of Policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT). He leads CDT’s policy advocacy and manages CDT’s core policy teams in conjunction with its CEO. His work includes shaping and overseeing execution of CDT’s policy agenda and strategy, and representing the organization before policymakers, regulatory agencies, civil society, industry, and the media.
Samir has 25 years of experience in senior roles in government and private practice working at the forefront of technology law, policy, and regulation. He served in the Obama Administration as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice and as Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy for the National Security Council. In those positions, he advised leadership at the White House and DOJ on cybersecurity and technology policy; coordinated development of cybercrime and privacy legislation and policy in areas such as encryption and defense of critical infrastructure; managed responses to significant cyber incidents; and led the team responsible for international engagements on issues such as law enforcement cooperation, cyber norms, and cyber-enabled intellectual property theft. He was a primary architect of the Presidential Policy Directive on United States Cyber Incident Coordination and played a key role in developing the Executive Order authorizing sanctions for malicious cyber-enabled activities.
Samir also was a partner at the law firms of WilmerHale and Jones Day. He started his career as a communications lawyer and worked on regulatory and litigation matters ranging from net neutrality to electronic surveillance. As the Internet emerged, he played a lead role litigating landmark cases such as Zeran v. America Online, establishing that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act generally immunizes social media and other online services from liability for third-party content.
Over time, his practice spanned advising on cyber risk mitigation; leading data breach and cyber incident responses; counseling clients on global privacy compliance, and handling investigations by the FTC and state Attorneys General; advising on law enforcement and national security issues; and counseling on issues affecting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things.
Samir has served on the Education Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), as an Affiliate with the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School. He holds a B.S. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Center for Democracy and Technology
Vice President of Policy
Samir Jain is the Vice President of Policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT). He leads CDT’s policy advocacy and manages CDT’s core policy teams in conjunction with its CEO. His work includes shaping and overseeing execution of CDT’s policy agenda and strategy, and representing the organization before policymakers, regulatory agencies, civil society, industry, and the media.
Samir has 25 years of experience in senior roles in government and private practice working at the forefront of technology law, policy, and regulation. He served in the Obama Administration as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice and as Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy for the National Security Council. In those positions, he advised leadership at the White House and DOJ on cybersecurity and technology policy; coordinated development of cybercrime and privacy legislation and policy in areas such as encryption and defense of critical infrastructure; managed responses to significant cyber incidents; and led the team responsible for international engagements on issues such as law enforcement cooperation, cyber norms, and cyber-enabled intellectual property theft. He was a primary architect of the Presidential Policy Directive on United States Cyber Incident Coordination and played a key role in developing the Executive Order authorizing sanctions for malicious cyber-enabled activities.
Samir also was a partner at the law firms of WilmerHale and Jones Day. He started his career as a communications lawyer and worked on regulatory and litigation matters ranging from net neutrality to electronic surveillance. As the Internet emerged, he played a lead role litigating landmark cases such as Zeran v. America Online, establishing that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act generally immunizes social media and other online services from liability for third-party content.
Over time, his practice spanned advising on cyber risk mitigation; leading data breach and cyber incident responses; counseling clients on global privacy compliance, and handling investigations by the FTC and state Attorneys General; advising on law enforcement and national security issues; and counseling on issues affecting emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things.
Samir has served on the Education Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), as an Affiliate with the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School. He holds a B.S. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Sarabeth Berman
American Journalism Project
Chief Executive Officer
Sarabeth Berman is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Journalism Project (AJP), the first venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. AJP makes grants to nonprofit local news organizations at every stage, supporting the successful launch of new enterprises and partnering with existing newsrooms to sustain their businesses and grow their newsrooms. Since its launch in 2019, AJP has built a portfolio of 41 nonprofit local organizations and growing, from Puerto Rico to Mississippi to Montana, with a total of more than $42 million in investment.
American Journalism Project
Chief Executive Officer
Sarabeth Berman is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Journalism Project (AJP), the first venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. AJP makes grants to nonprofit local news organizations at every stage, supporting the successful launch of new enterprises and partnering with existing newsrooms to sustain their businesses and grow their newsrooms. Since its launch in 2019, AJP has built a portfolio of 41 nonprofit local organizations and growing, from Puerto Rico to Mississippi to Montana, with a total of more than $42 million in investment.
Steve Lee
SkillUp Coalition
Steven is the Chief Executive Officer at SkillUp Coalition, a non-profit technology platform whose mission is to ensure that every worker has high opportunity employment. Prior to joining SkillUp, Steven was the Managing Director, Income Security at the Robin Hood Foundation, where he oversaw $40 million in grants promoting economic mobility. Prior to joining Robin Hood, Steven was an Associate Partner at Bain and Company, providing strategic advice to financial services, technology, consumer goods, media and non-profit clients. Prior to Bain, Steven founded ThreeToEight, an educational software company. Prior to founding ThreeToEight, Steven was a corporate lawyer at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an international law firm. Steven holds a B.A. and J.D. from Duke University, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
SkillUp Coalition
Steven is the Chief Executive Officer at SkillUp Coalition, a non-profit technology platform whose mission is to ensure that every worker has high opportunity employment. Prior to joining SkillUp, Steven was the Managing Director, Income Security at the Robin Hood Foundation, where he oversaw $40 million in grants promoting economic mobility. Prior to joining Robin Hood, Steven was an Associate Partner at Bain and Company, providing strategic advice to financial services, technology, consumer goods, media and non-profit clients. Prior to Bain, Steven founded ThreeToEight, an educational software company. Prior to founding ThreeToEight, Steven was a corporate lawyer at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an international law firm. Steven holds a B.A. and J.D. from Duke University, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Susan Benesch
Will Adler
Bipartisan Policy Center
Associate Director
Will is an Associate Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Elections Project, working to strengthen the resilience of U.S. elections. Previously, Will worked at CDT, researching voting machines, post-election auditing, and election disinformation. Will has also worked on tech issues in the office of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and advanced the causes of redistricting reform and open election data at the Princeton Gerrymandering Project at Princeton University. He has published pieces in numerous peer-reviewed journals and popular press outlets, including the New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, and Scientific American. Will is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches computer programming to law students. Will holds a BA in Psychology from Carleton College and a PhD in Neuroscience from New York University.
Bipartisan Policy Center
Associate Director
Will is an Associate Director of the Bipartisan Policy Center Elections Project, working to strengthen the resilience of U.S. elections. Previously, Will worked at CDT, researching voting machines, post-election auditing, and election disinformation. Will has also worked on tech issues in the office of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, and advanced the causes of redistricting reform and open election data at the Princeton Gerrymandering Project at Princeton University. He has published pieces in numerous peer-reviewed journals and popular press outlets, including the New York Times, FiveThirtyEight, and Scientific American. Will is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches computer programming to law students. Will holds a BA in Psychology from Carleton College and a PhD in Neuroscience from New York University.