Amy Zegart

Amy Zegart is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she teaches courses in US foreign policy and public management, and is also knowledgeable in cybersecurity. She has been recognized by the National Journal as one of the top ten most influential experts in intelligence reform. In 2003, she was awarded Public Policy Professor of the Year for her exceptional teaching. Zegart's academic roles extend to Stanford University, where she is the Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. She founded Stanford’s cyber policy program, which is among the nation’s premier international security centers.

Zegart's research spans several critical areas of national security, including the design problems of US security agencies and intelligence reform. Her scholarly work includes notable publications such as "Spying Blind: The CIA, the FBI, and the Origins of 9/11" (2007), "Eyes on Spies" (2011), and "Political Risk" (2018), co-authored with Condoleezza Rice. Beyond her research and teaching, she brings a practical perspective to her academic work, having served on the National Security Council Staff in 1993 and as a foreign policy advisor during the Bush-Cheney 2000 presidential campaign. She also offers her expertise to businesses, helping them to identify and manage contemporary political risks.

Before embarking on her academic career, Zegart spent four years as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising Fortune 100 companies on strategy and organizational effectiveness. She received a PhD in Political Science from Stanford University, where she studied under Condoleezza Rice, and holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. Zegart is a contributing editor at The Atlantic, and her insights are regularly sought by media outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and National Public Radio. A former Fulbright Scholar, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and resides with her husband and three children.