Melissa Hathaway, the White House's former acting director of cyber-security, has taken a position at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Hathaway will serve as senior adviser for the Center's cyber-security initiative.
The Belfer Center, known for its research and expertise in international security and technology policy, brought Hathaway onboard as part of Project Minerva. The project aims to analyze international cyber-security from practical and theoretical perspectives.
Hathaway made headlines over the summer for stepping down from her position as acting director of cyber-security after only three months on the job. Hathaway's departure was one of several high-profile White House czar resignations. In a Washington Post article from early August, Hathaway insinuated the White House had failed to give her the authority needed to do her job.
Appointed to the Joint Interagency Cyber Task Force within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2007, Hathaway played key roles in several Bush administration cyber-security initiatives before being retained by President Barack Obama.
According to the Belfer Center, Hathaway's primary duty as senior adviser will be working "to develop a better understanding of the policy gaps in international relations."
"I am thrilled Melissa Hathaway is joining the Belfer Center and Harvard Kennedy School," said Eric Rosenbach, the center's executive director for research. "She is a well respected practitioner on these issues and will be critical to moving the project forward."
