WaterPro Conference 2026

Jake Braun
Executive Director, Cyber Policy Initiative
University of Chicago


Jake Braun is the Executive Director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Co-Founder of Cambridge Global Advisors, a national security consulting firm. He most recently served in The White House as acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director. Prior to that role, Mr. Braun was appointed by The President as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Braun is the author of Democracy in Danger: How Hackers and Activists Exposed Fatal Flaws in the Election System (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). While at The White House, he oversaw the implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy including efforts to secure our water systems, modernize the federal cyber workforce, enhance cyber cooperation with allied nations, and develop AI cyber security policy. During his most recent tour at DHS, he advised on multiple cross-cutting cybersecurity initiatives. He also helped spearhead the first DHS-wide counter-fentanyl strategy and worked on the National Security Council team that developed the first U.S. government-wide counter-fentanyl strategy. He also helped lead the effort to resettle nearly 150,000 Afghan allies during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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